“I have gotten more than I asked for. All that I ever wanted was to hear my voice on record and have a songamong the Top 20.”

                                — Patsy Cline Patsy

Cline was one of country music’s first ladies. She lived her life wide open and shared it with her fans through the haunting, sometimes funny but always honest songs she belted out night after night.

To her, the pinnacle of success was having a record. Today, she would probably be somewhat amused that there is a movie and not one, but two country musicals that celebrate her music and her life. And, Fayetteville residents get a chance to join in the celebration May 17-May 27, as the Cape Fear Regional Theatre brings A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline to the river stage at Campbellton Landing.

“This is really the kind of place that Patsy would have performed,” said Kara Boyer. “She was always performing at fairs and outdoor events. This show almost feels like a concert.”

Boyer, a Kernersville, N.C., native who now lives in the Big Apple, will join veteran CFRT performer Mike Rice at the CFRT River Show to bring Cline’s story to life.

A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline follows Cline’s climb to stardom from her hometown in Virginia to The Grand Ole Opry, Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall, which she noted “was grand, but not as big as The Grand Ole Opry.”

A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline includes more than 20 of the country music legend’s popular hits: “Walkin’ after Midnight,” “Sweet Dreams,” “I Fall to Pieces” and “Crazy.”

Directed by Bo Thorp, the show has its moments of comedy and of the haunting heartbreak of Cline’s music. Put all together, Thorp believes it will create magical nights down by the Cape Fear River.

“This is absolutely one of the top shows we’ve ever done,” said Thorp. “Everyone loves Pasty Cline. Everywhere I’ve gone over the past few weeks, people say they can’t wait to see the show. We have some amazing talent, and are ready to be spend some great nights down by the river.”

For Boyer, who has done both tributes to Cline, performing down the river will be a fi rst. “This is one of those parts that once you start playing it, you get the opportunity to play it several times,” said Boyer.

The show has 22 of Cline’s top songs. “For the fi rst three or four months I was prepping for the show, I never sang a note,” said Boyer. “I just listened to her, and watched any YouTube video I could find so that I could learn her. I wanted to see how she stood, how she sang, how emotional she got. I just listened over and over again. Before I ever dared open my mouth. I really just had to give over to the artistry that people know and love about Patsy Cline.”

“Her heartache came because she lived a hard life,” said Boyer of Cline. “She wanted to succeed as an artist and did what she had to do to become successful. When she sings, she puts everything she had into her songs. She is so emotional.”

This year’s dinner theatre features the great American hamburger as the dinner choice, served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, dill chips, molasses baked beans, southern potato salad and iced tea. Dinner starts at 7 p.m., with tickets ranging from $25 to $28. Show-only reserved seating ranges in price from $14 to $20, with non-reserved seats ranging from $12 to 18. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. The show starts at 8 p.m.

For tickets and more information, visit www.cfrt.org.

Fayetteville Technical Community College celebrated its 50th Anniversary this year. It’s been a great year. In fact, it’s been a great 50 years, and according to FTCC President Dr. Larry Keen, the next 50 years look even brighter.

“In 1961, FTCC was established to provide workforce training to individuals in response to needs of local business and industry and worked diligently to establish the Fayetteville Area Industrial Education Center and Fayetteville Technical Institute, now known as Fayetteville Technical Community College,” said Keen.

Keen explained that over the last half century, the leadership of the institution has done a great job of anticipating the needs of the workforce and community and has strategically designed the curriculum to meetthese needs.

Keene explained that FTCC is a community college in every sense of the word. Students can spend two years working on core courses before moving on to four-year institutions, professionals receive certifications and training, businesses partner with the institution to find and train qualified professionals and citizens enjoy an opportunity to learn new skills and explore options through the continuing education department.

Supporters of FTCC and the community college system think that’s something to celebrate, which they have done in grand style this year.

The golden anniversary year kicked off with a special fall convocation. The speakers at the convocation talked about how the community college movement has grown over the years to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

“It was an excellent way to start the year,” said Keen.

The Forever Gold Campaign was started to secure community funding to support the growth of the college. Throughout the year, several other activites took place to celebrate the anniversary, including the commissioning of a piece of artwork for the campus to celebrate the anniversary and the publishing of a retrospective book that took a look at the institution’s first 50 years.

The school reached out to the community and the Arts Council hosted a juried exhibit for FTCC.

“A significant number of people came through to look at what we were doing, so many of the members of the community were able to see the exhibit,” said Keen. “We had some wonderful things take place.

”What started as an institution with a graduating class of 40, is now a collaborative institution that partners with colleges, government and businesses to touch more than 408,000 students internationally. This institution has grown from one site to 209 acres on four sites in Cumberland County.

“This year, just counting credentials, we have everything from people graduating with GEDs, associate degrees, diplomas and certifications. We have more than 2,000 of those. We’ve come a long way from 40.We are proud of the growth and development we’ve had,” said Keen. “To say we’ve come a long way in 50 years is an understatement. As we look to the next 50 years we expect to continue to serve the citizens of Cumberland County and those citizens all over North Carolina.”

The celebration of the 50-year milestone comes to a close at FTCC’s 2012 commencement ceremony, which will be held at the Crown Coliseum Complex on May 17. Maj. Gen. Rodney Anderson, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, is scheduled to speak. Keen has heard Anderson speak in the past and is excited about the inspiring message he will deliver to students as they move on to the next phase of their lives.

The future looks bright for FTCC as an institution of learning and as a partner in developing the community. Keeping up with trends and cycles and constantly assessing the needs of the many people it serves, is a priority with the FTCC administration, which is continually working to meet the needs of the changing workforce.

“It is a never ending cycle if you want to really compete and perform in the economy we are in, and I don’t see an end to that,” said Keen. “We modify what we do to reflect new technologies and techniques. We continually look at these things to upgrade equipment and curriculum.”

When the 2012/2013 school year starts in the fall, FTCC will unveil a sculpture. It is a piece that represents the journey that has led to this moment. For Keen it also represents the next 50 years and all the possibilities and responsibilities that come with meeting the needs of a diverse community.

“The more people we can get graduated and into the workforce is a good thing. There is going to be a lot of emphasis on graduation and the accomplishment of our different credentials,” said Keen. “I think we will continue to be open to serving Fort Bragg and the Department of Defense. We are committed to economic development and the growth of our community including entrepreneurial and small-business growth and development.

Looking forward 50 years, Keen hopes the legacy that FTCC is creating is the same legacy and strong foundation he inherited when he came to the institution.

“The great thing about this college and those we serve is it was founded by a visionary people who stepped out on faith with the expectation of a return — and I think they got that many times over,” said Keen. “And someday in the future we want people to look back at us and say they gave us this foundation, which we can continue to build on. If we do that, I think we’ve done something right. It is an honor and a privilege — with a capital P — to be a part of a great movement like the community-college movement, but I don’t think there is a better place to be than here. It is all the faculty, staff and most importantly, the students and foundation trustees and the leadership they provide that make FTCC successful. All the rest of us support the students and the effort they’ve made.”

Dirt gets a bad rap. The kids come in with it all over their hands and faces after playing outside. The dog drags it in and across the carpet. It somehow ends up on every white shirt you own. It can be very easy to blame the dirt. Kay Bullard of Cumberland Water and Soil Conservation District wants to change the public perception of dirt and she wants to start by teaching children about the wonders of soil.

Bullard presents, From the Soil to Your Spoon at North Regional Branch Library on Wednesday, March 23 at 4 p.m. The program is for elementary school children.

“Soil is the starting foundation for all of the food that we eat,” Bullard said. Her presenta-tion is about making the connection from the food on our dinner plates to the soil it was grown in and everything in between — including the processing of food and the trucks, trains and ships that deliver it to our stores.

Bullard will discuss, “... the plants that pro-vide us with the veggies and the fruits. Then we’ll talk about the animals that the farmer’s raise that provide us with the meats we eat.”

The children will conclude the program by making and taking home truffula trees, inspired by Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.

Bullard is enthusiastic about bringing her message to a younger generation and “seeing the expression on the children’s faces when they begin to understand the concept of what we are teaching — how important soil is, how important natural resources are to us. We need them for life. That’s not just dirt. It’s important!”

From the Soil to Your Spoon is part of the annual stewardship project developed by National Association of Soil and Conservation Districts. This is the 57th year the association has educated the public on the importance of soil and water conservation. In addition to library programs, Bullard also presents to elementary schools, participates in Earth Day and community events with Cumberland County Parks and Recreation.

It’s not just about respecting the soil. It’s about respecting the people who work the soil too.

“The next time you sit down to a meal, take a minute and think about where your food came from. Think about the farmers and the ranchers who helped to produce this food,” said Bullard.

“Recognize that they work to produce the food for a growing population and our farmers and are dedicated to land management practices that are healthy for the land and the soil so we can sustain our food supply and land for future generations.”

North Branch Regional Library is located on the corner of Rosehill Road at 855 McArthur Road. For more information or to register your child for the program, visit the Children’s Department or call 822-1998 ext. 223. You can also visit the Cumberland County Public Library at http://www.cumberland.lib.nc.us/.

On May 26, Reeves Auditorium will explode with Philippine culture, bringing to life traditions found through dance and music.

Mga Anak ni lnang Daigdig (Children of Mother Earth) performing arts troupe will perform on the stage of Reeves Auditorium, Methodist University at 7 p.m.

“This group of amazingly talented young people give a fantastic show while sharing stories and the different traditions from the many regions of the Philippines,” Allen Burton, event coordinator said.

Traveling all over the world, they share their rich culture and raise awareness about environmental issues such as the untreated garbage dump they are from. This talented performing arts group of young people is from Smokey Mountain, Manila in the Philippines.

Smokey Mountain is a garbage dump in Manila. Rising more than seven stories high, it is the second largest garbage dump in the world. Approximately 30,000 people inhabit the dump plundering for scraps of paper, metal and other recyclable materials to sell. The dump edges right against the Manila Bay, polluting the water as well as the air with the chemi-cals. It’s called Smokey Mountain because as the garbage decomposes, the heat of the sun causes the chemicals in materials to burn and release smoke or ignite small fires.

“Think of the worse conditions you can imagine; all that and more is true about Smokey Mountain.” Dr. H. Monte Hill, president of the Filipino American National Historical Society – Carolinas Chapter. The Carolinas Chapter is sponsoring the group’s trip to the East Coast.

Families build homes in the dump out of scrap material found while searching through the garbage. As many as three generations live in the small crowded shacks, making conditions unbearable. The children living in Smokey Mountain do not go to school because families rely on the entire family scav-enging to survive.

“When you get close you see long lines of garbage trucks waiting to unload. On days the wind blows you can smell it miles away. The stench is so strong it can make you sick. There are mountains of garbage with people crawling all over the mountains. Children are as young as four years (old) searching the trash for scraps, no shoes, discarded rags for clothes and filthy, they search all day for the few pennies they will make off the things they find,” said Hill.

The Catholic Church of the Philippines created the Children of Mother Earth Foundation to help the people of Smokey Mountain and raise awareness of the environment. Approximately 100 young people are selected from Smokey Mountain and spend years training with professionals to be ready to tour profes-sionally like the group performing in Fayetteville. At 17, members of the troupe age out and are given a scholarship for college.

However, many more children are helped through the fundraising efforts of The Children of Mother Earth. The foundation provides clothing, teaches hygiene and provides basic necessities to as many chil-dren as they can in Smokey Mountain.

The dance group debuted in 1994 and has given more than 350 perfor-mances all over the world. The mission of Children of Mother Earth is to raise environmental awareness and call for peace and justice.

“All of the proceeds go back to the help the people of Smokey Mountain. It’s an amazing show and by coming you are helping provide a better future for so many,” Allen said.

Tickets for the show are a $15 donation and sponsorships for those wanting to help are available starting at $100. Contact Allen Burton at 910.584.4841 for more information.

Photo: The Catholic Church of the Philippines created the Children of Mother Earth Foundation to help the people of Smokey Mountain and raise awareness of the environment.

 The Five-Year Engagement(Rated R) 4 Stars

Heading into his third film, Director Nicholas Stoller has one hit (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and one miss (Get Him to the Greek). The Five-Year Engagement(124 minutes) falls somewhere in between these two in overall quality. There are certainly more than a few laughs, but the film overall could have been trimmed down a bit. At more than two hours, this seems a bit indulgent — as if Stoller couldn’t bear to let anything go, whether it contributed to the film or not.

Tom Solomon (Jason Segel) works as a sous chef while living with Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt) and dreaming of his own restaurant. They get engaged, and begin to have parties, as you do when you earn the kind of high dollar amounts typically enjoyed by sous chefs and graduate students. Oh wait — both of those people tend to live in poverty. I guess Mom and Dad are paying for everything. While they’re at it, maybe they should invest in some elocution lessons for Violet’s sister Suzie (Alison Brie, who apparently didn’t get the memo that her “family” is British).

Anyway, the lovebirds manage to spend way more time planning their dream wedding than they spend actually getting married. You would think that a graduate student in the field of psychology would be able to get some insight from that, but apparently not. Despite her inability to apply basic psychology to address their personal issues, Violet is offered an apparently prestigious post-doc in psychology to the University of Michigan. As an academic, I question the logic of this particular plot device and the resulting lifestyle the two manage to share on the kind of salary a post-doc might expect to receive. Seriously, they should not be considering marriage when they are both clearly absorbing massive amounts of debt and will need to declare bankruptcy soon.

Embracing feminism, Tom decides to support Violet’s career by moving from lovely San Francisco to the frozen waste that is Michigan. Violet then spends the next two years demonstrating the overall invalidity of psychological studies in the company of other post-docs including Vanetha (Mindy Kaling).

Meanwhile, Tom begins a slow descent into depression, as evidenced by the growth of a stupid looking beard and the increasing number of scenes that show him in sweatpants. Because, of course, his fiancée is going to ignore his completely passive aggressive reaction to her achievement of a major academic milestone and stay with him despite the fact that she gets nothing from the relationship but a guilt trip. If only he had some career goal or hard-earned skill to fall back on, like that dream of owning his own restaurant he was talking about earlier in the film? No? We’re going to pretend that’s not where the story is obviously headed.

For some reason, even after the writers have established the basic conflict the movie wanders on through scene after scene, only to climax in a completely ridiculous resolution. Oh well. At least there are plenty of Van Morrison songs to enjoy while daydreaming through some of the longer scenes. As a bonus, we get to witness the next phase in the ongoing quest of Segel to turn into a complete and utter girl. This is a nice switch from most male-driven comedies, but it does tend to make him interchangeable with Paul Rudd. Perhaps he could play against type in his next Apatow flick? Or at least try to find a character that’s not quite so self-loathing?

Overall, it’s an enjoyable rom-com to see on date night but most of this material has been explored in other, more interesting films. If you’re hoping for another Forgetting Sarah Marshall, you’re apt to be disappointed.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. It is a time to pay respect to those who will never be forgotten. How do you repay a solider for making the ultimate sacrifice? The answer can be summed up in one word, remembrance.

As a military sanctuary city, it’s not hard to find evidence of the appreciation the Fayetteville community has for service members. From the Hero’s Homecoming celebration to the Field of Honor to the 31 Day Salute that occur throughout the city, the people in Fayetteville show up time and again to honor those who protect and defend this great nation. As the country celebrates this Memorial Day, don’t forget to take a moment to remember our fallen and the sacrifices they made.

Don Talbot is the coordinator for the Freedom Memorial Park Memorial Day Ceremony. Each year he dedicates his time and talents to ensure that the sacrifice of our soldiers and their families is not forgotten. The Memorial Day ceremony is held at Freedom Memorial Park on the corner of Hay Street and Bragg Boulevard, across from the Airborne & Special Operation Museum. The ceremony will commence on Memorial Day, Monday May 28, promptly at 11 a.m. In the words of Talbot “You need to go!”

Brigadier General Ferdinand Irizarry II of Fort Bragg’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School will be the guest speaker. He is the first active-duty Civil Affairs officer to be promoted to one-star general and is the deputy commander of the school. Other features at the ceremony include: the missing-man presentation, a 21-gun salute and bag pipes playing Amazing Grace.

The ceremony is a formal memorial service, and has received overwhelming support. The ceremony which has seating room for 300 had an attendance of about 800 in 2011. Even if the event is standing-room only, it is a small price to pay to honor those who have laid down their lives for our freedom.

Freedom Memorial Park will be a standing monument to veterans of the present, past and future even after Memorial Day is over. For those who have lost loved ones Memorial Day is every day, and the park is a way to honor their memories. You can contribute by making a donation to Freedom Memorial Park or by purchasing a paver or brick to be placed in the park, to carry on the memory of your beloved solider. For more information go to www. freedommemorialpark.com.

Photo: The Memorial Day ceremony is held at Freedom Memorial Park on the corner of Hay
Street and Bragg Boulevard. 

The Journey From Oz is a heartwarming message of hope and encouragement for those facing hard challenges in life.

“Whether you are facing the worst challenges or realize you aren’t where you want to be in life, this book offers support to help readers take control of life one helping step at a time.” author Sharon Yates said

Sharon Yates has more than 30 years of experience in the mental-health profession. As the public relations director for the Cumberland County Mental Health Center, Yates coordinates events and disseminates information on mental health to educate and help those facing life’s most difficult struggles.

Yates has combined her years of experience into her new book, The Journey From Oz: Seven Steps for Finding Your Way Back from Places You Never Intended To Be.

The book uses Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz story to illustrate the fact that everyone at some point in life finds themselves somewhere they didn’t intend to be. Dorothy landed in Oz, a strange place with strange people and no idea how to get back home. People suffering mental illness or a rough patch in life can relate to Dorothy’s feeling of being lost and desperate. However, throughout Dorothy’s journey she takes the steps necessary to find her way home and be happy again. The Journey From Oz is written to help the readers take those steps one day at a time.

Yates shares her personal stories as examples of making these daily steps. According to Yates, one story is about a friend who celebrated the fact that she could get out of bed and put on clean underwear in the mornings. This story is memorable not because of the humor but it is an example of the small victories that make a difference when times are tough.

The book is written in short paragraph passages. Yates said she wanted to make it easy to absorb because she knows how hard it is to concentrate during times of crisis, such as in an ICU waiting room.

“But at the same time, I would see how much a greeting card would mean to someone going through a tough time,” said Yates.

“People that know me, will recognize the statements from the books because they are things I say or write to friends and family when they need encouragement. I hope readers feel like I’m a friend speaking with them as they read the book. Sometimes just seeing things in print can validate emotions and bring home the ‘a-ha moment,’” Yates said.

The unique illustrations help to bring that “a-ha moment” as well. Rose-Ann San Martino has been involved in art and mental health for many years. As an artist she said she was grateful for the opportunity to collaborate on a project that inspired her.“

I just hope these book gets into the hands of people that can benefit from it. I’m retiring at the end of the year and this is my way of sharing what I’ve learned and giving back,” said Yates.

The Journey From Oz can be purchased at Amazon.com and for those with a membership with Kindle, the book can be downloaded and shared for free. Join Yates at the 2012 Local Author’s Showcase at the Headquarters Library on June 22 at 7 p.m. for a book signing.

This month 4th Friday falls on May 25. Don’t miss out on the chance to enjoy the weather, check out the new exhibits and performances downtown and frequent the many shops and eateries that stay open late and offer discounts during the event.

The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County is taking advantage of 4th Friday to open its latest exhibit. “This month’s 4th Fridaywill be the opening of The Healing Arts, sponsored by Cape Fear Valley Health Systems,” said Mary Kinney, marketing director of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. “The exhibition includes work collected and created by local physicians.”

There are a number of local artists as well as art collectors in the Cape Fear Valley medical community and much of the work shown comes from private collections.

The Army Ground Forces Band will bring a fi ve-member woodwinds section to perform inside the Arts Council Building Grand Hall from 7-9 p.m. during the exhibit opening.

The Downtown Alliance has adopted a fun theme each month. May is The Big Eat, according to Kim Powers, Downtown Alliance 4th Friday coordinator. “This month is called The Big Eat, but the savings are not just in food,” said Powers. “It is food oriented, everything will be about food and diet.”

So make sure to stop at all your favorite downtown eateries to see what specials are on tap.

The Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center Headquarters Library hosts Second Time Around, a 15-piece band specializing in the big-band era. Enjoy the sounds of Glenn Miller, Les Brown, Benny Goodman and more. Refreshements are provided.

Fascinate-U is geared up and ready to entertain children from 7-9 p.m. The craft of the day is colorful macaroni jewelry. Admission is free during 4th Friday.

Cape Fear Studios opens its newest exhibit called The Dance of Art in India — a production created in partnership with the India Foundation. The visual-arts exhibit at Cape Fear Studios emphasizes the interconnection of all classical art forms in India. Because Indian classical dance embodies this concept of interconnectedness, revealing through dance technique, form and style the relationships between the art of music and painting, literature and drama, sculpture and architecture, this exhibit includes a special dance presentation by trained Indian classical art dancers. Asha Bala, dance director and program manager of the India Foundation, will direct the dance performance.

The India Foundation’s vision is that all individuals are provided with creative outlets to soar high and lead fulfilled, dignified lives — engaging with community-based activities that will advance their health, self-esteem and spirit. Bala works with Ellen Olson Brooks, the executive director of Cape Fear Studios, in the spirit of Cape Fear Studios’ mission to partner with other artistic organizations and create unusual, compelling and educational arts exhibits and productions.

“The art in the visual-arts portion of this show will come from private collections here in the Fayetteville area,” said Brooks. “The art will also reveal how the classical Indian dance form and classical Indian arts are unified and interwoven into a beautiful “picture” of the two spectrums of artistic expression: frozen, as in the visual arts, and motion, as in dance.”T

he dance performance will take place at 7 p.m. on 4th Friday at the Arts Council. The visual arts exhibit will be at Cape Fear Studios. This is a show not to be missed.

Visit www.theartscouncil.com to find out more about 4th Friday.

The Spring Lake Campus of Fayetteville Technical Community College is gearing up for the first summer STEM Academy. Students from Spring Lake Middle School, which includes many military families, will have the unique opportu-nity to participate in a five-week summer academy that focuses on science, technol-gy, engineering and math.

For four weeks, students engage in exciting hands-on learning activities that are designed to excite and increase curiosity about how things work. Each week, students will have the opportunity to complete projects, such as building/constructing a Tetrahedron Kite, obtaining knowledge about the principles of flight and basic construction, and learning how to select the proper materials for the best results. Another project students will complete will be a Solar Oven. Students will learn the basics of energy and how scientists constantly discover new energy resources. They will use virtual blueprinting and raw materials to design and construct an oven that actually bakes cookies. The final project will involve the use of modern-day technology for navigation. With the use of a Global Positioning System, students will locate objects needed to con-struct a specific project. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in online learning.

Volunteer instructors from R. Max Abbott and Spring Lake Middle School will provide instruction, and mentors from the FTCC’s Male Mentoring and Future Seekers will assist in the classrooms throughout the summer.

During the week of July 30-Aug. 2, workshops will be offered for family members to increase their awareness of community resources and support the overall mental health of these families. Below are some of the workshop topics:

• Career Exploration

• Preparing for High School

• How do I Afford to Send My Child to College?

• Coping with Deployment

• Internet Safety and Cyber Bullying

• Gang Prevention•

• Help with Homework

And end-of-program awards ceremony will take place Aug. 3, from 8 a.m. to noon, with student projects on display and a luncheon for the families.

Applications may be picked up at Spring Lake Middle School and at FTCC’s Spring Lake Campus (171 Lake Tree Blvd., Spring Lake). Applications must be sub-mitted by May 31. Students will be noti-fied of their selection by June 4. The STEM Academy begins on July 2, and runs through Aug. 3. The hours are from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The project is sponsored by Fayetteville Technical Community College, Town of Spring Lake and Wal-Mart Foundation through the Community Blueprint/Give-an-Hour grant.

We look forward to a summer of fun, exploration and adventure.

Photo: At the STEM Academy students engage in exciting hands-on learning activities that are designed to excite and increase curiosity about how things work.

 Surprising Health Benefits from Spring and Summer Foods

As the days are getting warmer and longer inspiring people to engage in backyard barbecues and midday picnics, Anne-Marie Botek, a writer for agingcare. com, discovered some very interesting information.

Even if your elderly loved one isn’t able to take part in traditions like cookouts, or holiday parties, you can introduce seasonal celebrations into their lives through food. Many popular warm-weather foods even offer the added bonus of helping a senior get the nutrients they need to remain healthy.

Here are some popular spring and summer treats that may offer some unexpected health benefits for you and your elderly loved one. Ruth Frechman, M.A., a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, offers her perspective on how these foods can be both tasty and nutritious for seniors.

Barbecue Basics

• Watermelon: Synonymous with summer, this juicy fruit is not only low-fat, it also contains a staggering amount of nutrients seniors need. Pound for pound, watermelon has more lycopene than any other fresh fruit or veggie. Lycopene is an antioxidant that has been shown to combat certain forms of cancer and heart disease. Watermelon is also packed with potassium, which can be a boon for seniors suffering from potassium deficiency, or hypokalemia. According to the National Institutes for Health, hypokalemia in seniors can sometimes be brought on by certain heart failure and blood pressure meds, and can cause problems with heart and muscle function. Watermelon also contains significant amounts of vitamins A, C and B6.

• Iceberg lettuce: Don’t forgo a spring salad just because it has romaine lettuce in it. Oft-maligned as the less-healthy relative of spinach and romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce actually has more of the antioxidant alpha-carotene than either of them. Alpha-carotene (and its companion, beta-carotene) can be transformed by the body into vitamin A, which can help maintain good eye health. Research has shown that alpha-carotene, on its own, may also play a role in lowering a person’s risk of dying from ailments such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Iceberg lettuce also has a good deal of vitamin K, which can help combat osteoporosis and regulate blood clotting. Frechman says that, because the amount of alphacarotene in iceberg lettuce is relatively low compared to other veggies, so you may want to add some carrots, tomatoes and spinach to a salad to boost its overall carotene content.

• Spices: Seasoned sauces and rubs are the cornerstones of a delicious warm weather cook-out. Spices can serve the dual purpose of making food more flavorful to seniors whose ability to taste has been diminished, as well as helping them fight off disease. From tumeric, whose primary compound, curcumin has been shown to be beneficial in fighting off diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer; to cinnamon, which can help people with Type 2 diabetes by lowering their blood sugar, total cholesterol and triglycerides, spices have numerous potential health benefits.

Enjoying these items may require a bit of effort on the seniors part. If preparing these foods independently is not possible, you might call in a family member or professional care giver to provide assistance.

Photo: Many popular warm-weather foods even offer the added bonus of helping a senior get the nutrients they need to remain healthy. 

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Jane Davis was up early. She had a lot to do to prepare for an evening meeting with the family readiness group she headed up. Davis, the wife of then Womack Army Medical Center Commander, Gary Matteson, had been planning the big meeting for several weeks.

As the news of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Flight 93, began to saturate the radio and television, Davis made her way to Womack. With tears in her eyes, she made the call to cancel the meeting. While many spent the next several days feeling helpless and afraid, Davis spent them planning on a way she could make a difference. In a matter of days, Davis, a nurse, had volunteered to go to Ground Zero to treat the countless volunteers who crawled in and out of the remains on a 24-hour basis.

In her first book, First Aid for Heroes, Davis relates the event of 9/11, how they affected her and memories from time spent at Ground Zero. On Thursday, May 10, Davis will be at City Center Gallery and Books to promote her book, and to talk about the experience.

“I was literally compelled to do more. It was something deep within me, a deep-seated feeling that I needed to help out on a much larger level,” said Davis, during an interview about her book published on www. pdpatient.wordpress.com. “To watch the devastating news on the television all day or to answer phones at the local Red Cross Station, was just not enough for me.

“My family was incredibly supportive and very proud of me for choosing to do this. Gary, my husband, was incredibly busy at Fort Bragg (where we were living) as he was commanding the post hospital, Womack Army Medical Center. He understood my pull, as he had seen it many times before with my volunteering at every military post we had been stationed. It was a hard decision though, as I knew the assignment would be for at least three weeks. My life on the military post was a very busy one as I was involved with many organizations and they were counting on me. Everyone gave me their blessing. I ended up working/volunteering at Ground Zero for six and a half weeks.”

Davis said her arrival on Ground Zero was like stepping into a black and white movie.

“The noise of Midtown Manhattan was what I remember when I entered the subway, but it was a totally different city once I exited in Lower Manhattan. The hustle and bustle of the big city seemed to be hundreds of miles away, it could have been in another state, another country, and it was only a short subway ride away. The fi rst thing I noticed is that people were talking in hushed voices and quietly sobbing. There was a stillness in the air, a quietness, not like the cacophonous sound of Midtown Manhattan,” she recalled. “I had to force myself to observe the devastation of Ground Zero, I knew that I could not start my volunteer job until I made myself look. The vastness of the devastation was so powerful, it looked as if I was in the middle of a war zone. I realized that the television could not capture the enormity of it, as it was 360 degrees of tragedy. Then the overpowering stench assaulted my nostrils. It was a smell like no other, and one that is hard to describe. I can still smell it and did when I recently returned to Ground Zero to pay my respects after 9/11/11. I know it was only in my mind, but I am amazed that the smell has lingered inside me.”

While at City Center Gallery and Books, Davis will recount the time she spent at Ground Zero and the lessons she has learned since then about embracing life to its fullest.

The book signing will run from 6-8 p.m. at City Center in downtown Fayetteville. Davis will make comments at 7 p.m. For more information, visit the website at citycentergallery.com.

Photo: Jane Davis was honored by President George Bush for her service at Ground Zero.

While many in the community are taking a deep breath and recovering from the hectic celebration of the Dogwood Festival, the staff of the Dogwood Festival is jumping feet fi rst into planning a different kind of party in the same location. Fayetteville After 5 is back, and it’s rocking harder than ever in Festival Park.

Originally started as a fundraiser for the now defunct Fayetteville Museum of Art, Fayetteville After 5is a celebration of summer. Held on the third Thursday of the month from May to September, Fayetteville After 5 offers Fayetteville residents a chance to shake off the work week blues, kick back in the park and enjoy a good time with friends, family and great music.

This season’s offerings kick-off on Thursday, May 17 with one of the city’s favorite ‘80s bands, Suicide Blonde. Based out of Raleigh, Suicide Blonde is comprised of “children of the ‘80s” who have united to bring back the spirit of this incredible decade. With its lineup of experienced musicians, this exciting band well remembers what it was like to wear a mullet, hop in the Trans-Am and drive to the blaring sounds of AC/DC, David Bowie or the Cure. With a wealth of experience in many genres of music, Suicide Blonde brings the required professionalism, musicianship and unmistakable love of the ‘80s to the stage and invites Fayetteville residents to come out and “work for the weekend.”

The band will be joined on stage by the Fantasy Band, playing smoothed out rhythm and blues, Top 40 and beach music.

On June 21, Craig Woolard will open the show, with the timeless sounds of beach music, the Carolina’s own sound. Woolard is popular among beach music fans, and invites you to kick off your shoes, and hit the floor for some smooth shagging.

Bull City Syndicate, another Triangle-based band, started as a blues band in 1993, originally going by the name Soul Kitchen. Founded by Durham musicians Dave Wilkins and Stephen Michael Jack, they played their fi rst gig at the Down Under Pub on Main Street in downtown Durham. The band later morphed into a ‘70s retro band with the addition of Vondy Strickland and Clark Edgerton on horns. After adding a trumpet to the mix, the “Bull City Horns” were born. For many years, Soul Kitchen & The Bull City Horns was one of the most popular club acts in the Triangle, setting the standard for horn bands in the region. While changes have taken place over the course of 16 years, in both personnel and musical direction, the main course of the band remains as a “horn band,” not a “band with horns.”

Most of the current line-up has been together for years now, in which time the band recorded their first CD, You Make Me Feel, changed their name to Bull City Syndicate and grew from a top-drawing Triangle cover band, to one of the most in-demand special event and festival bands in the Mid- Atlantic region.

On Aug. 16, the Johnny Orr Band and the Johnny Folsom 4 bring a little country to Festival Park.

The Johnny Orr band is fronted by Johnny Orr, who made it to the finals at Nashville Star in 2007 making the top 30, he’s been on CMT’s Big Break with Sara Evans, he’s opened for Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Gretchen Wilson, LeAnn Rimes, Little Big Town, Jason Michael Carroll, Phil Vassar, Josh Gracin, Josh Thompson, Jeff Bates and Josh Turner.

From “A Boy Named Sue” to “Ring of Fire,” four of Raleigh’s favorite musical sons pay tribute to the Man in Black with the Johnny Folsom Four. True to the Johnny Cash’s poetic spirit, the JF4 promises an honest and entertaining performance for fans of all ages.

Lead singer David Burney brings a lilting southern baritone to Cash’s classic songs which hits the mark well enough that you may wonder on occasion if Cash, himself, is in the building. David Gresham more than meets the challenge of filling in for Luther and Carl Perkins on those classic guitar licks. And Tom Mills (bass) and Randy Benefield (drums) provide the hallmark, train-like driving rhythm the whole world loves. And when the boys are living right, the remarkable Miss Eleanor Jones joins in on those classic Johnny and June duets; hotter than a pepper sprout!

When it comes to honoring Johnny Cash, JF4 walks the line.

The season wraps up on Sept. 20 with The Tams, one of the Carolina’s favorite beach bands. Liquid Pleasure has an eclectic play with everything from Top 40 to Beach and rock.

With such an amazing line-up this year’s Fayetteville after 5 looks to have something to please everyone. Held in Festival park, the gates open at 5 p.m., with opening acts beginning between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Headliners will begin between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and will play until around 10:30 p.m.

You’re invited to bring your blankets an chairs and spread out on the lawn, but no outside food or beverages or pets are allowed within the park. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival.

For more information, visit www.faydogwoodfestival.com.

A season of “Blessings” for Laura Story…

Sowing & Reaping

As we go through life, we will all inevi-tably reap what we have sown. Laura Story has been faithful in her music ministry as well as her devotion and support to her ailing husband, Martin. Lately she has certainly been enjoying the reaping end of the equation.

Heading to the Grammy’s

Her song “Blessings” has been her most successful song to date, both in sales and more importantly in the impact it has had on people’s lives. As a result of this success, Story was nominated for and won her first Grammy Award. A rare feat for any Christian artist, and even more a female worship artist.

Multiple Doves

tory was recognized by her peers in a big way at last month’s 43rd Annual GMA Dove Awards! She walked away with Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year and Album of the Year, as well as overall Song and Songwriter of the year – all stemming from her huge hit “Blessings.”

The Singer/Songwriter Becomes an Author

Capturing an incredible thought in a song is nothing new for Laura. What is new is turning those thoughts into a devotional book called What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? Comprised of 30 daily devotions designed to draw readers into a deeper understanding of God’s sometimes mysterious gifts, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? includes the devotions “He Loves Us Too Much to Give Us Lesser Things,” “When Faith Disappears,” “The Blessed Thorn,” “Giving Endurance a Chance to Grow” and “How Can We Find Peace Amid Suffering?” Each devotion contains Story’s personal reflections garnered from her own journey, along with prayers, quotes and a journaling page for readers to recount how blessings have impacted their own lives.

Best Blessing of All

As if the music awards and the success of her new cd and book weren’t enough to make this one of Story’s best years ever, she and her husband recently learned that she is pregnant. The bundle of joy is due to arrive in September and the expectant mom and dad couldn’t be more excited. 2012 has already been a year of bountiful blessing for Story and we wish her many more!

Photo: Laura Story

She comes with impeccable credentials and plenty of fresh ideas, which is a good thing because shehas big shoes to fill. Robyne Parrish is set to replace Lynne Pryer as Gilbert Theater’s artistic director.

Trained at the North Carolina School of Arts, one of the nation’s top-ranked acting conservatories, Parrish has performed off-Broadway, in regional theatres, in film and television including Royal Pains, What’s It Like in California, The Baristasand Help Me Help You with Richard Kind and Steve Guttenberg. She has trained with world-renowned director and NCSA Dean, Gerald Freedman, Cigdem Onat and Broadway dance legend, Molly Murray. She’s directed children and adults alike in her 20 plus years as a director.

Critics describe her as hilarious, capable, sassy and vivacious.

So why Fayetteville? Why now?“

I have been looking for something like this position for a long time,” said Parrish. “My family is from South Carolina and I’m 40 this year. A lot of it has to do with moving back in the direction of home. Being in Fayetteville is going to let me slow down a little bit and really enjoy working.”

Parrish’s idea of slow may differ from what most would assume. She still has representation all over the world, will be travelling to Pittsburgh to direct in the winter, is working with a new theater group in town called Sweet Tea Shakespeare and is doing a show in Blowing Rock this summer.

“Part of my agreement with the Gilbert is that I will be travelling sometimes to work and direct,” said Parrish. “I will be directing two of the shows at the Gilbert this season, too.”

Parrish brings with her not only years of experience, but her connections from New York, Pittsburgh and other places.

“This is an opportunity to bring in guest directors and use my connections to bring in new artists to work in the community,” said Parrish.

When Parrish accepted the offer to head the Gilbert Theater, she was impressed by the level of excellence at which the organization operates, and she was energized by the board’s desire to move things to the next level.

“There is huge potential here. Everything they were doing was so awesome,” said Parrish. “What I have been challenged by the board to do is move to the next level of excellence. Everything they have done is incredible, and there is so much opportunity to keep growing.”

One of the first orders of business is the Gilbert Conservatory, a school for actors and other people interested in learning the ways of the theater. The conservatory offers classes in Shakespeare, voice and speech, musical theater and acting for the stage and screen. It is for ages 15 and up.

“The most important thing is that we are the Gilbert. We are not going to turn into something different,” said Parrish. “The change that is being made is that we are transitioning to a semi-professional theater. We still rely heavily on local talent. I’ve seen great talent here. I don’t see why we would need to go anywhere else. That is who we are and that will not change. The Gilbert deserves to be recognized as semi-professional. They are already working at that level and they should be viewed like that.”

Find out more about the Gilbert Theater and the Gilbert Conservatory at www.gilberttheater.com.

Photo: Robyne Parrish is the new artistic director at the Gilbert Theater.

As the 2011/2012 school years winds down, Fayetteville Academy is set to welcome its new head of school, Ray Quesnel. In the education business for 23 years, Quesnel has been a teacher and coach as well as an administrator, and says he has loved every aspect of the many roles he’s assumed.

He served at The Asheville School as a teacher, coach and administrator for 11 years before moving to Forsyth Country Day School in Winston Salem, N.C., in 2000. He is currently the athletic director at Forsyth Country Day School and is the president of the PACIS conference and a representative on the Board of Managers of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association.

He wasn’t looking for something new, but when long-time friend Chip Bishop, who was on the Fayetteville Academy Search Committee, approached Quesnel about the head-of-school position, he was intrigued.

“The more I came down to interview and the more I got to meet the people, the more interested I became,” said Quesnel. “We really like the school. In fact, I’ve known of the school for many years. It is an excellent school with a lot of potential to become even stronger and better.”

Of course the academy won him over, but if there was any doubt about whether or not moving to Fayetteville was the thing to do it was the community that sealed the deal for the Quesnel family.

“We really liked the sense of community,” said Quesnel. “We are looking forward to learning about the community and being involved and working with so many different people. Fayetteville is a unique city and community. With the military and international connections there is so much to see and do and learn.”

With a long list of hobbies that include sports, music- and art-related activities, Quesnel anticipates an easy transition for his family and is looking forward to being involved in the community.

As far as Fayetteville Academy goes, Quesnel plans to spend some time getting to know the faculty, staff, administration and parents at the school.

“I can’t say enough how supportive the key administrators have been. I am trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can,” said Quesnel. “I also want to be careful because I think it is arrogant to come in and try to change too many things. I don’t want to come in and start making changes before learning the culture and reasons the systems are what they are. I am looking to make decisions in the best interest of the school as a team,” he added.

Quesnel said that he is excited that there are experienced and excellent staff, teachers and administrators who have the best interest of the school and students in mind. He thinks it will make his transition that much easier as he takes the helm and leads the school into the future.

Photo: Ray Quesnel

More Really Is More

Like many young people just starting out, I lived in a miniscule apartment with a rent, including water, so low by today’s standards that I am embarrassed to tell you.

It was furnished with family castoffs, book shelves made of cinder blocks and two-by-fours and many house plants to fill in the blank spaces. I even made floor lamps by sticking a light bulb on the floor and putting terra cotta sewer piping on top to create a sort of spotlight.

I was inordinately proud when I was able to buy a tweedy sofa and a Parsons table for the kitchen.

Then came the terrible and miserable year when my mother and grandmother died less than two months apart. Among all the sadness of that time, I barely noticed that I had gone from owning next to nothing to having lots of home furnishings, most of which are still in our home to this day, including everything from sofas and chests to linens with their monograms.

In retrospect, this must have been the beginning.

Anna Quindlin has long been among my favorites writers. She is my generation, a Baby Boomer, and I have followed her career from afar as she moved from staff editorial writer at the New York Times to its youngest columnist and, as children entered her life, on to essayist and novelist. She continues to strike me as a person of both great good sense and an open and welcoming heart. That is no doubt the reason that when I saw Quindlin’s latest book, Lots of Candles Plenty of Cake, excerpted in Parademagazine, I sat right down and read it.

Anna and I have a lot in common.

She, too, has way too much stuff.

It is impossible to say when it first began, but I do remember thinking to myself when the Precious Jewels were young that they certainly had a lot of toys that had a lot of parts. There is nothing quite like stepping on a Lego barefooted in the middle of the night to remind one of that. There were bikes, balls, books, sports gear, homework, beloved items, all of which seemed to be “lost” when someone was looking for them. There were zillions of T-shirts with different logos and sports teams emblazoned on them. There were drawers of clothes that were handed down, most of which hung around even when no one could fit into them anymore.

The Precious Jewels were hardly the only culprits.

While they were growing up, I must have been acquiring 24/7. My kitchen is full of pots and pans, utensils, appliances and gadgets of all sorts that I must have thought necessary at some point. In a little used cabinet, I recently found a crock pot and an ice cream maker, which have not seen the light of day in years. There is the “good” china which, as opposed to the “everyday,” is practically virginal but still here. And, clothes, oh my word!

My closet is filled with items I have not worn in years but still find “too good to throw away.” Some have been in style, gone out of style, and are back again. Some, if they were human beings, could register to vote. I still wear the same items over and over again, though, mostly black and white with a dash of color somewhere. In her book, Anna confesses to owning 18 pairs of black pants. I have not counted and probably would not tell if I did. Last year, I forgot I had an electric leaf blower for the front deck so I bought another one.

Sometimes I feel like every possession has had at least three children itself!

Some of this stuff is dear and precious to me, and I have thought about what I would save fi rst if I had to leave to escape disaster. The family photo albums, all 25 of them. The Precious Jewels’ baby teeth even though I have no idea which ones belonged to whom. The folder of household important documents, if I were thinking straight enough to remember it.

Beyond those, though, possessions do not matter as much as I must have thought they did. Many have been useful and many bring back fond memories, but those memories are in my head whether the material objects exist or not.

Several years ago, a beloved aunt now closing in on her 96th birthday asked me about old friends she missed. I told her that the husband was well but that the wife had died. She made no comment, and I realized that she still had a relationship with her friends in her mind no matter what, which is pretty much how I feel about most of the things I have accumulated over an active and busy lifetime.

I am grateful for what I have had but I have learned that everything is temporal except what is in our heads — the joys, the sorrows and everything in between.

Thanks, Anna, for the reminder.

Photo: Things clutter up our lives, but they keep memories alive.

Active-duty Soldiers bring the emotional, mental, physical, spiritual and family pillars of military life to the stage inArmy Strong, the 2012 U.S. Army Soldier Show. “Every section of the show has something to do with strength in one of those areas,” Production Manager and Producer Tim Higdon said.The 90-minute song-and-dance production is designed to accentuate the strengths and resiliency of soldiers and military families through modern songs, current hits, vibrant costuming, exciting choreography and spectacular visuals.

“That is in line with the chief of staff’s motto for this year, which is, ‘The strength of our nation is our Army, the strength of our Army is our soldiers, the strength of our soldiers is our families, and that’s what makes us Army Strong,” Higdon said. “So the show is designed to follow that theme, and to highlight the strength aspect all the way through.”

Soldiers will attempt to sing and dance their way into the audiences’ heart, mind and soul. “Entertainment for the Soldier, by the Soldier,” is the working motto of the U.S. Army Soldier Show, which is designed to deliver a positive message to the troops.

It’s all about ‘Army Strong – Hooah!’ So we’re moving out and doing that,” Higdon said.

The 2012 edition unveils a state-of-the-art, high-resolution LED video wall — 13 feet tall by 28 feet wide — featuring photographs of Army life on a virtual backdrop revolving from scene to scene and song to song.

“It’s going to be a very visual show — very current, very modern,” Higdon said. “We’re excited about that new aspect of the show. The incorporation of that LED technology is going to make the show move forward with a very modern and relevant presentation.”

Army Reserve Sgt. Melissa Neal, winner of the 2011 Operation Rising Star military singing contest, will make a taped appearance. The Soldier Show cast will join Neal’s video backdrop to sing “Hallelujah,” which she performed during Operation Rising Star finals week in San Antonio and later recorded at EMI Music’s Capitol Records Studios in Hollywood.

“It’s kind of magical,” said Soldier Show artistic director Victor Hurtado, who worked all three projects with Neal.

As always, sections of the show are dedicated to legends of the entertainment industry, such as Etta James. Another blast into the past features a segment accentuating musical eras of the 1920s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, capped with the Rolling Stones’ classic “Satisfaction.”

“The motivation for that was ‘Moves like Jagger,’” Hurtado said. “We love that song.” That tune is by Maroon 5, featuring Christina Aguilera.

“Everything in the show really speaks to resiliency, being able to adapt and overcome,” Higdon said. “Resiliency really is that mental part, being able to put things in a perspective which allows you to continue to continue to move forward — that you never come up against a challenge that you can’t overcome.”

“Putting the show together has gone from hard to simply difficult,” said Hurtado, a 26-year Soldier Show veteran and 12-time director. “The show came from many, many briefings, and all of these things are always in the back of my mind. … But the end result is Soldiers’ lives are illustrated within the show in a really cool way.”

For example, strength is personified by Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be.” Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” is dedicated to the soldier-athletes in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program training for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, along withsSoldiers who participate in All-Army Sports, post intramurals and daily physical fitness drills.

The Soldier Show comes to the Crown at 7 p.m. on May 11 and at 2 p.m. on May 12. Admission is free.

The latest craze of adventure racing makes its impact on Fayetteville and Fort Bragg with the Thunder Challenge Carolina in Raeford May 5-6. The trend of running through mud and various obstacles has increased in popularity over the past few years, but the Thunder Challengeis uniquely suited for the Fort Bragg area. One of the found-ing members is Scott Rhodes, a former member of the 7th Special Forces Group who spent 26 years at Fort Bragg. Co-founder Rusty Shellman is also a veteran Army pilot. These races focus on the overall physical fitness of the participants, not just an ability to run, tied to the principles of cross-fit training. The Thunder Challenge incorporates the challenges of specialized military training and brings it to obstacle racing.

The inaugural Thunder Challenge Carolina race is a 10K mud run at the Raeford Wide Open MX Park. It features more than 20 obstacles designed with the special training that Rhodes, Shellman, and former Navy SEAL Brett Morganti received in the military. The course is designed to challenge not only the combat-tested soldier-athletes and special operators of Fort Bragg, but also adventure enthu-siasts looking to push themselves to their physical and mental limits. Tough will only be the beginning. Racers can expect to crawl through mud pits, climb walls and even face cold-water endurance tests.

“The biggest difference with us is that we are trying to really focus on the mil-itary,” said Rhodes. “We use military-style obstacles, bring in special-operations veterans on the course, and try to hire veteran-owned businesses to help build the courses.”

The race will be run in waves, with both individuals and teams of any size, on Saturday and Sunday followed by food, beverages and music. An event like this obviously takes a tremendous amount of dedication and support. According to Rhodes, up to 50 volunteers are needed to help with the race. Many special-operations veterans will also be on the course to help add challenge and motivation to the event. The race will kick off when the Golden Knights jump in and will feature multiple ven-dors, prizes for the participants and even a mini-obstacle course for children.

With their ties to the military it is no surprise that each race helps to contribute to a veteran’s charity — Project Sanctuary, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans and their families. The project was started by a Fort Carson nurse, Heather Ehle, who wanted to help service members returning home reinte-grate with their families and help with issues such as PTSD, depression and possible suicide. The charity is small, and relatively new, which is a big reason Scott and Russell chose to sup-port it. It was founded in 2007.

“There are a lot of great charities that help support our veterans, but this is a small upstart with a great focus,” said Rhodes. “They really take care of the whole family, and that means a lot to us.”

Registration for the race will remain open until the day of the race. Tickets for racers are $95, with a $20 discount for all military members. Family and friends are welcome to come as spectators with no charge. The Thunder Challenge will make its way across the country this year, with eight more events scheduled from Pittsburgh to California. For more information on the Thunder Challenge, visit www.thundrpro.com.

Photo: The inaugural Thunder Challenge Carolina race is a 10k mud run at the Raeford Wide Open MX Park.

The 50th Anniversary Golden Season of the Cape Fear Regional Theatre has been a special season. So itseems only fitting that the staff of the theatre chose to end the regular season with a really special production. With the staging of On Golden Pond, they did just that.

If you didn’t make it to the theatre to see this production, you missed the boat. The show, starring William Christopher and Bo Thorp was noth-ing short of magical. Sure, they had a great story, with wickedly witty dialogue, but without the mastery of these two seasoned actors, the show could have fallen flat. But that didn’t hap-pen. From the moment Christopher uttered his first, “Who the hell is this?” to their last exit to say goodbye to the lake, they had the audience, hook, line and sinker.

On Golden Pond tells the story of Norman and Ethel Thayer, a couple in their twilight years, who spend their summers on a quiet Maine Lake known as Golden Pond. The show spans one season on the pond, and deals with the issues of time, familial relationships and the approach of death — all pretty dark stuff. But playwright Ernest Thompson, puts a humorous, yet sentimental spin on the story, which keeps it from being maudlin. Throw in the sharp wit exchanged by the characters and it becomes almost comical.

Actors performing this show must walk a fine line between sentiment and comedy to render the sweetness of the story. Thorp and Christopher had great balance. To play the roles of Norman and Ethel convincingly, there had to be connection between the actors. In the days leading up to the show’s opening, Christopher was worried that the cast would not have the time to dig into the subtle nuances that make the show so special. He didn’t need to worry.

The two have chemistry on stage that usually comes over a long period of time. In this case, I think it comes from the mastery of their craft. Both veteran actors, Thorp and Christopher handled the material gently. They wove the story so convincingly that I felt like I was in their living room, not in the audience. They pulled the sweetness from each moment. You knew them. Watching them on stage, I pictured my own grandparents who traded similar barbs. The words were sharp, but there was always love underneath them.

The four other cast members Liza Vann (playing the Thayer’s daughter, Chelsea), Greg King (Chelsea’s boyfriend, Bill), Jonathan Flom (the mailman) and Sean Thomas (playing Bill’s son) all did a fine job, but quite honestly, Christopher and Thorp stole the show.

In his director’s notes, Tom Quaintance, the artistic director at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, noted that he had to “pinch” himself to realize it wasn’t a dream to work with such a beautiful script and extraordinary actors like Christopher and Thorp. I understand where he is coming from.

As we left the theatre, I couldn’t help but wish that the sum-mer went on forever, and that we wouldn’t have to say good-bye to Golden Pond.

Photo: On Golden Pond tells the story of Norman and Ethel Thayer, a couple in their twilight years.

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s a golf game. Imagine this, a child is sick. You wait anticipating the moment when you will hear them play again. Every moment, your ears are listening for that one small request “Can I go play now?” The stress of a child’s illness affects both children and their parents, and ironically, this is where golf comes in.

The 17th Annual Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation’s Friends of Children Golf Classic takes place Thursday, May 10. The tournament is open to the public and will be held at the Highland Country Club. It was started in 1991 by community leaders and medical professionals, who saw the need to enhance pediatric care for less fortunate children and their families. The tournament has raised more than $1.4 million to date. The golf classic is held in honor of the recently deceased L.B Floyd, who joined the cause with his beloved wife, Yvonne, in 1993.

L.B. Floyd is a native of Salt Lake City, S.C. He retired from Ft. Bragg, where he managed Stryker Golf course. He is a former winner of the Carolinas PGA Section’s Palmer Maples and is known in the area as the Patriarch of Golf. Since 1993 until the time of his death L.B. Floyd was instrumental in helping to support the mission of the Friend’s of Children Golf Foundation. The focus of the foundation is to provide necessary medical care while also acting as an advocate for children and their families.

Have you ever been sick, or cared for an ill loved one? If so, you are well aware of the emotional, physical and financial toll it can take on a family. Right now there are children and families who need you. Your participation can lift the burden that comes with illness. Co-Chairmen of the Friends of Children Golf Classic, Tom Costello and Duane DeGaetano, both fathers, know first hand, the stress of caring for a sick child.

“By giving of our time and treasures, we have found a way to help children and families who may not be as lucky,” said Tom Costello, vice president/General Manager of Rick Hendrick Toyota. Duane DeGaetano is the president of Construction Systems Inc. Both companies along with Valley Auto World are presenting sponsors this year.

The Friends of Children Golf Classic is the perfect opportunity for you to help. Spending a day on the greens will help provide needed medical care for a sick child and peace of mind to the family. Not a golfer? You can still contribute by attending the foundation’s dinner, which will take place immediately following the tournament. The dinner is open to the public and will feature your choice of steak, chicken or a vegetarian entrée. The cost for the dinner is $50. There will also be a beer and wine tasting prior to the dinner at about 5:30 p.m.

The Friend’s of Children Golf Classic is the place to be to help those in need. Mark your calendar and save the date. Enjoy a great game of golf, fine wine and exquisite dinning, all while helping those who would love just to go out and play.

To learn more about the tournament or to pledge to help those in need, contact the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation’s Friends of Children at (910) 615-1449 or email FriendsofChildren@capefearvalley.com.

On May 11, along with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, the Cumberland Oratorio Singers will perform at Saint Ann Catholic Church at 7:30 p.m. Michael Martin, conductor of the COS is excited about the performances that will be featured that evening.

The theme of the show is light and the title of the performance is Let Your Light Shine. Composer Morton Lauridsen’s piece titled Lux Aeterna illustrates the concept of light being very powerful in both poetry and song. The five movements of Lux Aeterna are based on various references to light from sacred Latin texts. The power and finesse of Lux Aeterna will speak to each of us in its own way.

“The first recording of Lux Aeterna by the Los Angeles-based composer Morten Lauridsen demonstrates that it IS possible for important contemporary music to speak directly to the human heart. Composed in 1997 for the LA Master Chorale, Lux Aeterna is a rich, complex, intensely moving piece that people will be listening to for a long time to come,” raves Jim Svejda, National Public Radio at www.peermusicclassical.com.

On the same site, Lauridsen describes his work …“Lux Aeterna — Eternal Light — is an intimate work of quiet serenity centered around a universal symbol of hope, reassurance, goodness and illumination at all levels. This work formed in my mind over several years, and I began serious work on the piece shortly following the completion of Les Chansons des Roses in 1993. I put aside the Lux in early 1994 to compose the Christmas canticle, O Magnum Mysterium. The serenity and the uncomplicated and lyric style of O Magnum Mysteriumare continued in Lux Aeterna, which is fashioned on texts from several different Latin sources, including the requiem mass, each containing a reference to Light.”

Born in 1943, Lauridsen was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994-2001 and professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than thirty years. His works have received three Grammy nominations. In 2006 Lauridsen was named “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 2007 he received a National Medal of arts from President Barack Obama. This is the highest award given to artists and art patrons by the U.S. government.

The conductor of COS, Martin, along with his wife Amanda and their two children David and Meredith, relocated to Fayetteville, North Carolina in 2007 from the great state of Maine. Martin is originally from New England, where he received his Bachelors Degree then received his Advanced Degree in Music Education from Kent State in Maine.

Martin soon discovered that the Cumberland Oratorio Singers group was in need of a conductor and so he quickly jumped at the opportunity of becoming the next conductor. In 2008 he was appointed artistic director and conductor for this group of talented singers.

An Oratorio is a large-scale musical work for orchestra and voices, typically a narrative on a religious theme performed without the use of costumes. The COS is made up of members with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, ages, and musical experiences. There are currently 70 members in the COS group but it has been as many as 100 members. “The group is so diverse that we are able to do some things that other groups can’t do,” stated Martin. Because of the demographics of the group it has allowed them to connect to the community in a different way and next year they are planning on combining and working more with the Fayetteville Orchestra Symphony. For ticket information, please call COS President Margaretta G. Kelly at 482-0006 or Director Michael Martin at 630-7153.

Break out the tackle box and grab your pole. It’s time for the Swamp Boys Fishing to Fight Cancer Tournament. The event involves two key dates: The first is the May 12 captain’s meeting at the Shrine Club in Hope Mills.

At the meeting, teams and sponsors mix and mingle, enjoy a dinner, register for the tournament and just have a great time. There is a live auction with items like children’s painted flowers pots and an autographed Tiger Woods poster.

“We have celebrities who send us different kinds of things,” said event organizer Robert Kitchen. “A couple of Nascar drivers and country-music stars send autographed memorabilia. We also have people who donate things like deep freezers. Salons have donated gift baskets, too.”

Last year was the first year for the auction, which brought in more than $2,000.

Music and games are a big part of the captain’s meeting. There will be knot-tying games, plug chunking games, a BB-gun turkey shoot and an eel grab. The winner of the eel grab gets to keep all five eels to use as bait during the tournament. This event is for tournament participants and sponsors.

“No RSVP is needed but it would be good if you did,” said Kitchen. “So we can make sure we have enough food and things like that.”

Register at the captain’s meeting and pay just $40. Participants get their wristband for tournament day if they register at the meeting.

If you can’t make the meeting, there is still time to register on the day of the tournament. “Registration is open all day at Gander Mountain on Saturday (May 19), but it costs $60 if you wait till then,” said Kitchen. “We urge everybody to come out and register on May 12. It is cheaper and less hectic than if you wait till the day of the tournament.”

Participants can put their boats in the water at 6 a.m., but they can’t cast a line until 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 19. “As long as you put in at the Neuse River or the Cape Fear River you are fine,” said Kitchen. “You can go anywhere you want to once you are in the water, but when you back your trailer into the water it has to be Neuse River or Cape Fear River running over it.”

There is no limit on team sizes, however Kitchen asks that all fi shermen obey the N.C. state laws on boat occupancy. “We don’t want anyone getting in trouble with the game warden,” said Kitchen “This event is supposed to be fun — and safe.”

Weigh-in starts at 7 a.m. at Gander Mountain on May 20. All boats must be out of the water at 10 a.m. The weigh-in will finish up around noon and then the top three teams take a polygraph test.

With more than 100 boats and 400 fi shermen/women expected, there are plenty of prizes to go around. The winning team takes home $3,000, with $1,000 going to the second place winner. The third place team gets $500. Fourth through 50th places get products like tackle boxes and plaques. Several sponsors and local businesses have donated products, services and gift cards as prizes.

“If you know you aren’t going to win but you may know you are a contender for 20th, it is still worth coming to weigh in,” said Kitchen.

True sportsmen, the Swamp Boys return all of the fi sh to their rivers of origin.

“After they are caught, the fish are stressed out pretty bad,” said Kitchen. “We use a product called Rejuvenade which is fi lled with nutrients, so the fi sh are rejuvenated when we put them back in the water.”

Proceeds from the event benefi t St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Last year the event raised $10,400 for St. Jude. The goal this year is to raise $15,000.

Find out more about this event at the Swamp Boys’ Facebook page and at www.fi shingtofi ghtcancer.org.

Photo: The Fishing to Fight Cancer Tournament benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Fayetteville is fortunate to be home to a true gem, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, the oldest continuously funded orchestra in North Carolina.

As the FSO celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, it is hosting its annual Champagne & Diamonds event on Sunday, May 6, from 5:30-7 p.m. at SkyView on Hay. Tickets to the event are $50, and in just its second year, the fundraiser already requires a larger venue.

“The first year we did it, we held it in Dr. Richard and Susan Shereff’s home,” said Christine Kastner, president and CEO of the FSO. “We had such a large turnout. There were about 250 people, and that’s asking a lot to host such a large group in your home. So this year we decided we needed to move it to a different venue, SkyView.”

The $50 ticket provides each attendee with admission to the event and entry into the drawing for an elegant ring, appraised at more than $9,000. The ring features a stunning square-cut 1.77-carat emerald from Colombia and two diamonds in a 14 carat gold setting. The ring’s precious gemstone is in honor of the FSO’s emerald anniversary.

“We were fortunate to obtain the emerald and then to get it set in a ring,” Kastner said.

In addition to the main event of the evening, the drawing, guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and champagne for the price of admission.

“That’s a pretty good deal,” said Kastner. “We’ll have a Fayetteville Symphony String Quartet performing, and there will be additional door prizes.”

Among the door prizes are gift certificates for a foursome of golf at Baywood Golf Club, picture or art framing,packages of dinner and symphony concert tickets for two and a massage. Attendees must be present to win the door prizes but need not be present to win the ring.

“It’s a fun way to come support the symphony. Even if you haven’t been able to make our concerts this year, you can come to this event,” Kastner said. “It has a broad cross-section of people who attend. Obviously it was so successful last year that we decided that this is going to be our signature fundraiser.”

And celebrating with champagne and diamonds offers a most fitting approach to help ensure the FSO continues to sparkle and shine in our community. For more information, contact the FSO office at (910) 433-4690 or visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org.

Top photo: As the FSO celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, it is hosting its annual Champagne & Diamonds event.

As I wrap up my fi rst full academic year at Methodist University, I would like to turn the spotlight on those students who have successfully completed their undergraduate or graduate degree programs. This Saturday, we will honor 180 candidates for graduation at the 49th Annual Spring Commencement Ceremony — graduates who have worked hard during their collegiate years and deserve recognition for their accomplishments. Congratulations, Monarchs! I send you my best wishes and hope that you will stay in touch with your classmates, friends and faculty members as you embark on a new adventure.

It has been a momentous year for all of us, with so many highlights and reasons for celebration. We launched a bold vision for the future of the university that will ensure Methodist continues to thrive as an amazing place to learn, grow, work and live.

It is an especially exciting time to be at Methodist as the Methodist University Journey is unfolding. The MU Journey is about embracing experiences outside of the classroom that prepare students for a productive career, graduate school and a life of meaning and purpose. The recent announcement of new centers for Global Education, Leadership, Community Engagement and Undergraduate Research and Creativity will ensure that every Methodist University student has an opportunity to participate in these experiences, while other initiatives like the Center for Student Success will enhance the overall Monarch education. In addition, the new School of Health Sciences promises to bring even more programs to the university that will not only meet an increasing interest on the part of students in healthcare professions, but will also meet the needs of our community. And a new Master of Education Program that will be launched in June will meet a need for a graduate program for teachers.

The recently unveiled master plan for the university will mean physical improvements to complement the programs. The new state-of-the-art building for the Professional Nursing Studies Program will open this summer, and the new sophomore residence hall located on Sink Field will be ready for occupancy this fall. In total, the board of trustees has approved a 20-year plan for expansion to meet short- and long-term goals for Methodist, and dramatic improvements are scheduled to begin over the next five years, including renovations to the library, enhancements along Ramsey Street, Lowdermilk Drive and Stout View Drive, expansion of the Berns Student Center and an addition to Reeves Auditorium, to name a few.

These new programs and campus-expansion projects would not be possible without the past and continued work of many signature people who have given and continue to give of themselves to improve our university. I was particularly pleased and honored when Harvey T. Wright II and Mary Fermanides Wright, both graduates of Methodist University, allowed me to announce at my inauguration their $5 million commitment for student scholarships. Their commitment for the Harvey and Mary Fermanides Wright Scholarship represents the largest single gift made in the history of Methodist and will fund the highest merit scholarship offered by the university, thus allowing us to recruit the very best students to Methodist. The occasion of announcing this transformational gift provided a truly inspirational moment in the life of this institution.

We are so grateful to Harvey and Mary Wright for their generosity and support of the vision for Methodist University. These two “signature people” have inspired us to do all we can to make Methodist the very best university it can be. Harvey and Mary’s legacy will live on through the journeys of the students who receive their scholarships, thus lighting their pathway through a Methodist education.

It is true that every Monarch has a journey. I wish our graduates the very best as they begin the next phase of their journey, and know they will join us in the years to come as active alumni and community members who will continue the tradition of giving back to Methodist. Indeed, the best is yet to be.

Ben E. Hancock Jr.

President

Methodist University

Photo: Harvey T. Wright II, Chair of the Methodist University Board of Trustees, and his wife, Mary Fermanides Wright, donated $5 million to Methodist scholarships. Wright is pictured above with Dr. Hancock. 

A successful portrait photographer, Jonathan Starling shares his experiences of a popular and historical Italian celebration in the exhibit titled The Colors of Carnevale. Visitors to the Gallery 208 opening on May 10, and during the exhibit, which runs through June, will have a glimpse into the artist’s interpretation of the Carnevale di Venezia (Carnival of Venice). Carnevale is a celebration where the streets are filled with people in elaborate costumes and masks.

Starling has been a professional photographer for more than 25 years and is most well-known for his award-winning images of families and children placed in traditional settings with natural lighting. As a photographer he has captured images of families, children, high-school seniors, and business professionals for many years. His artistic approach has been to create images that say something about the person or capture their interests, their hobbies and people they love.

Gallery 208 is excited to exhibit his latest body of work from his trips to Venice, Italy during the carnival. Different than his traditional portraiture, the mood in The Colors of Carnevale is heightened to a dramatic stage of mystique, intrigue and exceptional beauty.

Starling feels the exhibit is a gift he can to give to Fayetteville. “I have combined my passion for travel, beauty, Italy and its culture with the creation of beautiful images. If I am able to share my experience and the happiness it brought to me with my viewers, I will have accomplished much. I am always interested in sharing my Italian culture with others and all of these factors combined created a desire to present this body of work.”

A change from his portrait commissions, Starling’s approach to his fine-art photography in Venice is personal and an open ended interpretation of his traveling experiences, interfacing with places, people and the affects of light on a subject or place. While the commercial work results in satisfying his customers, this body of work is a private experience he can share. While in the fine-art frame of mind, Starling refl ected upon the creative state as “a floating or mixing of the atmospheres of reality and an altered creative state.”

So when a portrait photographer travels to another country and decides to create a body of work centered on the Carnevale event, what is his approach? Does the experience in any way shape how he views his commercial work?

I found Starling’s answers to the questions helpful in understanding the practicality of his approach as well as the aesthetics. He stated: “I had limited communication and limited identity with the carnival culture in Venice; yet photographing the event was an evolving experience as an artist. Most of the masked people I photographed were from France (people from all over the world visit Venice for Carnevale). Since I can’t speak French at all, communication developed from a smile or kind look at first, and then evolved through approaching the subjects from a professional approach by using gestures and body language to get the subject to pose. At first I approached them as inanimate objects, a costume, a mask; I progressed to realize that the subject was really the person or the persona behind the mask. Once that connection was realized, I found myself intrigued with the eyes and the body language presented at that point, the inanimate came alive with life and energy and beautiful images flowed.”

He continued, “There were so many people there photographing at the same time, the conditions were very cold and the crowds were large. I wanted to show the costumes and masks but also show Venice and present it without the crowds of tourists and photographers. The limited time spent with the models was very rewarding often resulting in the exchanging of well wishes, business cards and email addresses.” 

As a photographer, Starling is literally, a “student of light.” He applies his knowledge of light skillfully in his commercial work and in his fine-art approach. For the works in The Colors of Carnevale note how he concentrated on early morning light and late afternoon light. “I prefer the quality of light during these two times of the day. I often found myself working with a flash to bring out the subject and adjusting my exposure settings to create the look of the ambient lighting conditions,” said Starling.

But, why go to Italy routinely to photograph? Starling responded he “goes to Italy regularly for personal reasons.” He is proud of his Italian heritage — a place he found a deep connection to after his first visit. Although raised in Fayetteville, he often felt he was missing a part of his spirit. He connected with that missing part after traveling to Italy.

Starling currently possesses dual citizenship in both the United States and Italy and feels equally welcome and at home in either country. He is so comfortable that he conducts several tours a year to Italy — and he feels equally comfortable as a teacher. He has been teaching photography for many years, fi rst on a professional level, which is how he earned the degree of Craftsman from the Professional Photographers of America. In the last four years he has started teaching photography from the beginning level and through advanced classes at FTCC, and in his own private classes. Starling stated: “Leading groups in Italy was the next step to sharing my love of travel, photography and Italy with other photographers.”

Starling’s students enjoy traveling with him since he bridges the gap for them between their experiences in the U.S. and the food and customs of Italy. He prefers to travel as a “traveler,” not as a “tourist” — stating there is a huge difference.

“A tourist only sees a small glimpse of the place they are visiting while keeping their identity as an outsider. A traveler experiences the culture and tries to assimilate themselves into the culture and place they are in,” Starling explained. “Being a traveler causes you to look at yourself and your life experiences in a way that can lead you to see other points of view and other ways of doing things. I find the results are personal and life altering growth experiences that will change you for life.”

He continued, “It is rewarding for me to see the looks on the faces of my students when they get it. They often wonder why I highly encourage them to dress for dinner, why we eat late meals and try different food. Sure, the tourist stuff is fun; but our missions are always centered on chasing light and being in the right places to create beautiful images at the right time and taking the time to photograph the beauty. One of my students said how nice it was to be on a trip where no one was constantly asking “Are you still taking pictures?”

Starling takes pictures in Venice because he feels there is no other city in the world as beautiful and unique as Venice. The photographs in The Colors of Carnevale all exude this feeling and reflect Starling’s philosophy: “When you mix beautiful, artistic, and historic costumes in a historical and beautiful city, a synergy of beauty and color explodes.”

The public is invited to the opening of The Colors of Carnevale on May 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Gallery 208, located at Up and Coming Weekly at 208 Rowan St. The exhibit will remain up until June 29.

Photo (right): As a photographer Starling is, literally, a “student of light.”