The U.S. Army Forces Command’s Army Ground Forces Band performs at Methodist University on Saturday,March 3, in Reeves Auditorium. The group of 59 talented and dedicated soldiers hit the stage at 7 p.m. will and provide the audience with an hour and a half of entertainment — free of charge.

“This will be our first regular concert in the Fayetteville area,” says Maj. Treg Ancelet, commander and conductor of the Army Ground Forces Band, “The last concert we did in Fayetteville was our big holiday concert in Reeves Auditorium, but it was a joint concert.”

The band, which has been stationed at Fort Bragg for a year, has high expectations for their members.

“All of our musicians are highly trained and had to go through a band audition to become a member of the major-command band,” says Ancelet. “They have to score very high. Some of the band members have been to conservatories of music and are working on their doctorates.”

The origin of the band dates back to 1846 when the band members helped in winning the Battle of Monterey and became the only Army band to receive a combat distinction from the President of the United States. The band uniforms have a red stripe down the pants to display this victory from 1846.

“This concert band will mix it up with some transcriptions,” says Ancelet. “We’ll do standard band repertoire, like Grainger; we’ve got to do a few student marches and there will be a lot of vocal and patriotic bids.”

The concert also features videos that will accompany different songs, the service medley and some John Williams: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also, at intermission the band will bring the Dixie Land Band out to play someDixie music.

“I’m really proud of this concert; I think it’s going to be really fun and stuff that people don’t normally see,” says Ancelet. “There will be a lot of different dimensions that most bands don’t bring to the public.”

The ultimate goal of the four-star general’s band (General Rodriguez) is to spread the Army’s message around the country.

“With a band of this size and caliber, one of our missions is not just to bring morale for the troops, but to bring the Army’s story to all of America,” says Ancelet.

While The Army Ground Forces Band has performed for audiences as large as 3,000, they are hoping to have a great turnout for the Methodist University concert.

“We have given concerts to a large crowd before, and were kind of curious because it is our first regular concert. I hope everyone comes out and has a good time,” says Ancelet. “It should be fun for all!”

This event is free and open to the public. Find out more about the Army Ground Forces Band, and the concert at www.forscom.army.mil/band.

Photo: Army Ground Forces Band will perform on March 3 at Reeves Auditorium.

 The Woman in Black(Rated PG-13)  Four Stars

The Woman in Black (95 minutes) wasn’t the best movie I’ve seen in the last year, but at least it was entertaining. As a film, it fit nicely into the grand Gothic tradition of classic English horror movies. Writer Jane Goldman did a nice job of updating the 1983 Susan Hill novel … not surprising from someone with writing credits on Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class. Too bad her big finale came off as unnecessarily sentimental. In fact, the notoriously hard-to-find 1989 UK telefilm really sounds like it had the more satisfying ending.

In Edwardian England a lawyer named Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) prepares to leave his son Joseph (Misha Handley) with a nanny (Jessica Raine). Kipps is trying to get over a run of bad luck, and step one is catering to his employer by heading out to the middle of nowhere to handle the estate of the Drablow family. On the train to the village nearest Eel Marsh House, Kipps meets Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds).

Arriving on a dark and stormy night, he finds out there’s no room at the inn, and is promptly put into the Attic-Room-of-People-Jumping-Out-of-Windows by the helpful proprietor. Once he gets to mingle with the villagers, everyone acts real shady, like they’re going to murder him and hide the body if he’s not on the next train out of town. The next day, despite ample evidence that he should get the heck out of Dodge, Kipps heads out to the spooky isolated mansion that is closed off to the outside world during high tides.

Though my first move would have been to light every candle in the house and start a roaring fire, he gets right to work sorting through a Hoarders-style stockpile of paperwork. I’m not really sure why a lawyer was needed for this, since there are apparently no surviving relatives, but at least we get a ton of thrilling scenes that revolve around paper. During a break from the excitement, he sees the titular Woman in Black (Liz White), and later reports the sighting to the village constable. After he finishes up telling the nice policemen things they don’t want to hear, he heads over to Sam’s for dinner. The dinner is rather awkward, what with Sam’s crazy wife Elizabeth (Janet McTeer) bringing her yap-yap dogs out to the table and making polite dinner conversation about dead children and communing with the afterlife.

Over the next day or so, the story of the Drablows is re-vealed in bits and pieces, though it seems like the backstory could have answered a few more questions than it does. For the one millionth time, the villagers try to get Kipps to leave. Despite lots of paranormal stuff going down every time he walks through the door, a ghosts-aren’t-real pep talk from Sam gets him back to work. This time, he takes a dog for company and decides it is a great idea to spend the night in the clearly haunted house in which he has already seen, heard and felt several ghosts.

He manages to get through the night without actually having a heart attack from fear, although judging from the reaction in the theater, the filmmakers did a great job of ratcheting up the tension for the average viewer. For some reason, Sam finally gets on board the I Do Believe in Spooks train, and helps Kipps carry out a brilliant idea. He has decided that the way to put the spirit to rest is to reunite her with her child, which apparently involves heading out to the marsh on a dark and stormy night to grope around in a mud pit the color and con-sistency of melted Hershey’s Chocolate.

For Radcliffe’s first post-Potter production that doesn’t involve being naked on a horse, he did all right. The pacing was pretty tight, and there was at least the effort to temper the too schmaltzy ending with an ominous final scene.

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

 The Woman in Black(Rated PG-13)  Four Stars

The Woman in Black (95 minutes) wasn’t the best movie I’ve seen in the last year, but at least it was entertaining. As a film, it fit nicely into the grand Gothic tradition of classic English horror movies. Writer Jane Goldman did a nice job of updating the 1983 Susan Hill novel … not surprising from someone with writing credits on Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class. Too bad her big finale came off as unnecessarily sentimental. In fact, the notoriously hard-to-find 1989 UK telefilm really sounds like it had the more satisfying ending.

In Edwardian England a lawyer named Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) prepares to leave his son Joseph (Misha Handley) with a nanny (Jessica Raine). Kipps is trying to get over a run of bad luck, and step one is catering to his employer by heading out to the middle of nowhere to handle the estate of the Drablow family. On the train to the village nearest Eel Marsh House, Kipps meets Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds).

Arriving on a dark and stormy night, he finds out there’s no room at the inn, and is promptly put into the Attic-Room-of-People-Jumping-Out-of-Windows by the helpful proprietor. Once he gets to mingle with the villagers, everyone acts real shady, like they’re going to murder him and hide the body if he’s not on the next train out of town. The next day, despite ample evidence that he should get the heck out of Dodge, Kipps heads out to the spooky isolated mansion that is closed off to the outside world during high tides.

Though my first move would have been to light every candle in the house and start a roaring fire, he gets right to work sorting through a Hoarders-style stockpile of paperwork. I’m not really sure why a lawyer was needed for this, since there are apparently no surviving relatives, but at least we get a ton of thrilling scenes that revolve around paper. During a break from the excitement, he sees the titular Woman in Black (Liz White), and later reports the sighting to the village constable. After he finishes up telling the nice policemen things they don’t want to hear, he heads over to Sam’s for dinner. The dinner is rather awkward, what with Sam’s crazy wife Elizabeth (Janet McTeer) bringing her yap-yap dogs out to the table and making polite dinner conversation about dead children and communing with the afterlife.

Over the next day or so, the story of the Drablows is re-vealed in bits and pieces, though it seems like the backstory could have answered a few more questions than it does. For the one millionth time, the villagers try to get Kipps to leave. Despite lots of paranormal stuff going down every time he walks through the door, a ghosts-aren’t-real pep talk from Sam gets him back to work. This time, he takes a dog for company and decides it is a great idea to spend the night in the clearly haunted house in which he has already seen, heard and felt several ghosts.

He manages to get through the night without actually having a heart attack from fear, although judging from the reaction in the theater, the filmmakers did a great job of ratcheting up the tension for the average viewer. For some reason, Sam finally gets on board the I Do Believe in Spooks train, and helps Kipps carry out a brilliant idea. He has decided that the way to put the spirit to rest is to reunite her with her child, which apparently involves heading out to the marsh on a dark and stormy night to grope around in a mud pit the color and con-sistency of melted Hershey’s Chocolate.

For Radcliffe’s first post-Potter production that doesn’t involve being naked on a horse, he did all right. The pacing was pretty tight, and there was at least the effort to temper the too schmaltzy ending with an ominous final scene.

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

Bikers and Bike Week fans have something new to look forward to — Friday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3, check out the Myrtle Beach Bike Week West Motorcycle Expo at the Florence Civic Center.

Myrtle Beach Bike Week West offers plenty to see and do, including vin-tage motorcycle displays, drag bike displays, chopper road shows, a ride-in bike show, live entertainment with legends of Bike Week, stunt riders, cus-tom builders, a vendors mall and more.

Friday night is Family Night. Kids 16 and under get in free with their parents. This expo is expected to be the largest family-friendly motorcycle event in the Florence, S.C., area.

Not only will there be bike-related activities, but look for good music, too. Friday night, Mojo Hammer performs with special guest Write Off 20. Both bands are local favorites. Nantucket performs at the event on Saturday along with All My Rowdy Friends — the ultimate Hank Williams Jr. Tribute Band and the original rocker and biker diva, Geneva.

Nick Hooker, marketing manager at the Florence Civic Center, noted that there is a lot going on at the Myrtle Beach Bike Week West Motorcycle Expo. “This is our area’s first motorcycle expo,” Hooker says.

Fayetteville’s large biker community won’t want to miss the chance to test the waters at this inaugural event. Hooker encourages the Fayetteville community to come and enjoy the expo. “Florence is not far from Fayetteville,” Hooker adds, “It is conveniently located on I-95 and I-20.”

Myrtle Beach Bike Week West Motorcycle Expo is open to the public. It gives fans of Nantucket a chance to come out, show support and enjoy a wide range of entertainment, and it gives bikers a chance to take a quick trip down the road to explore an event that will likely become a regular part of the area’s springtime motorcycle festivities.

In addition to the displays and vendors, check out the raffle. The Challenger Motorcycle Lift used by Orange County Choppers during the Custom Bike Build on August 5, 2011 at the Florence Civic Center will be raffled off. Proceeds support the Wounded Warrior Project and the South Carolina Motorcycle Rider Education Program. The lift has Paul Sr.’s signature and the signatures of all the crew who worked to build the custom bike. Raffle tickets are $10 and will be available at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Booth at the expo. The lift will be on display there as well.

The winning ticket will be drawn on the concert stage Saturday night, March 3, during intermission at Myrtle Beach Bike Week West Motorcycle Expo. You do not have to be present to win.

Admission to Myrtle Beach Bike Week West Motorcycle Expo is just $15 per day and $20 for the whole weekend. Tickets can be purchased the day of the Expo (no advance sales). To find out more, visit www.myrtlebeachbikeweekwest.com or www.florenceciviccenter.com.

Who doesn’t like to hear good music? Even better, who doesn’t like to hear great music from a band that got its start in North Carolina? You can do that when Nantucket performs live at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, S.C., on March 3, at the 2012 Myrtle Beach Bike West Expo. Nantucket has an incredible fan base and event organizers expect a good crowd will come and support the band.

Mike Uzzell, a founding member of Nantucket, says that the Florence Civic Center was one of the first venues the band ever played and he is thrilled to return back.

“We used to have lines of people standing out to see us perform,” Uzzell says. “A lot of people send emails wondering why we are not traveling anymore.”

The show gives Nantucket’s loyal and supportive fans a chance to “walk down memory lane” and relive all the excitement of the band’s early days.

Nantucket was created in North Carolina in the city of Jacksonville in 1969. The band originally consisted of six members: Tommy Redd, Larry Uzzell, Mike Uzzell, Eddie Blair, Kenny Soul and Mark Downing.

Beginning as a cover band where they drew lots of attention, Nantucket signed with Epic Records in 1977.

“It was a very lucrative record deal,” Uzzell adds.

Nantucket had much success with their hit song “Heartbreaker” which sold more than 200,000 copies and was featured on the Billboard charts in 1979. The band had the opportunity to open for many popular bands such as KISS, Styx, Boston, Mother’s Finest, Journey and the Doobie Brothers.

“If I told you how many bands we have played for, we would be on the phone for two more hours.” Uzzell says jokingly.

The band has experienced a great deal with their music and the group has established a very loyal and supportive fan base. Although the band was successful, they did not continue with Epic Records.

“During the MTV era and the production of new bands, we missed our opportunity,” Uzzell says.

Nantucket may have experienced some bumps along the way, but they are still a legend in the music industry.

“We were rated number six of bands that should have went big,” Uzzell said.

In 1992 the band released an album titled Still Live After All These Years. The new album featured earlier songs and some new material from the band as well.

Nantucket still plays reunion shows all around the Carolinas for those devoted fans to come out and enjoy, and the show at the Florence Civic Center is no exception. Fans can look forward to hearing the band’s latest single “You Need a Ride to Raleigh”.

“It is a very neat track and a happy song,” Uzzell adds,” a lot of people are responding — young and old — to the song.”

The band will have special guest All My Rowdy Friends which is the ultimate Hank Williams Jr. Tribute Band. Also the original rocker and biker diva Geneva will appear at the concert.

Nantucket will sign autographs for fans and T-shirts will be available from the band.

For more information or to purchase tickets for Nantucket concert or Myrtle Beach Bike Week West Expo visit www.florenceciviccenter. com or call the box office at 843-679-4525.

Photo: Nantucket, in the early years. 

What Men and Women Need to Know About Heart Disease

February is National Heart Month and we want you to be informed. Knowledge allows you to make choices about your health. This information is relevant for everyone!

The term heart disease encompasses a number of health conditions, including valve and rhythm problems, called atherosclerosis, or the tendency to form plaque in the arteries. Atherosclerosis is also sometimes called coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease can also cause angina — chest pressure or tightness associated with shortness of breath that occurs during exercise — and it is the leading cause of heart attacks.

Who Gets Heart Disease?

Heart disease affects men in their early 60s and 70s and women around 10 years later. The later onset in women is thought to be due to the protective effects of the hormone estrogen, which women have in abundance through their childbearing years and which gradually declines after menopause.

What Causes Heart Disease?

Heart disease is caused by an inflammatory process that is the result of a number of different factors. Some of the biggest culprits are cholesterol, nicotine from smoking cigarettes, LDL particles from cholesterol and high levels of glucose (blood sugar). All of these irritants can inflame the delicate lining of the arteries. In response to the inflammation, the arteries start to form plaque.

A heart attack occurs when plaque becomes so inflamed that it ruptures, breaking off and forming a clot that blocks the artery and cuts off the blood flow to the heart. About 50 percent of the heart attack victims do not survive, and the other 50 percent of the cases need to be rushed to the hospital for treatment. A drug to dissolve the clot, angioplasty to open up the artery, or surgery are the treatments available.

How Can Heart Disease Be Reversed or Prevented?

The best preventative treatment is a diet high in Omega-3 fish oils, low in trans fats and that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and fiber and no fried, greasy foods. Also, aiming for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week and maintaining an ideal weight are important preventative measures.

People who really get strict with their diet and exercise and live the right lifestyle can shrink plaque. They may not be able to completely erase it, but as long as you prevent the progression and stabilize the plaque so it’s no longer inflamed and not likely to rupture, then you’ve really accomplished a lot. Of course, there’s some genetic predisposition to heart disease.

How People with Heart Disease can be assisted?

A person with issues related to heart disease, whether a senior or not, could benefit from hiring a professional caregiver who could maintain the home, plan and prepare healthy meals, drive to appointments and keep the individual engaged in activities. This assistance could be for a few days or ongoing, depending upon the situation.

What to do now?

Now that you know more about heart disease consider your personal situation, consult your physician and make adjustments under his/ her care.

Photo: Heart disease is caused by an inflammatory process that is the result of a number of different factors. 

Does Music Education Improve Academic Performance?

The education a child receives will set the groundwork for future success. There is a strong connection between edu-cational achievement and music education. Data from the College Board, Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2001, revealed that for every year a student par-ticipated in music instruction, their SAT scores improved significantly. Students with four or more years of music study received an average score of about 544 as opposed to a score just above 482 for those with at least one semester of music instruction, thus showing a strong correlation between music lessons and academic success.

Grade-school music students also show increased learning in math and reading. The Public Schools of Albuquerque, N.M., conducted a study that found that instrumental-music students with two or more years of study scored significantly higher in the California Test of Basic Skills than did non-music students.

High school students also achieve greater academic excel-lence when exposed to music training. A study by Mission Veijo High School in Southern California (1981) shows that the overall grade point average of music students is consistently higher than the grade point average of their non-music peers. The music students achieved a 3.59 average while the non-music students achieved a lower 2.91 average.

Dr. Earnest Lamb is the chair of the Department of Performing and Fine Arts at Fayetteville State University. Prior to accepting the position at Fayetteville State, Dr. Lamb taught orchestra in the public schools of Little Rock, Ark. He later joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff before coming chair of its music department. Lamb found that music education encouraged students to stay in school because it improves their self-esteem, and those music educational activities give students a sense of belonging.

For example, the students in the marching band, the glee club, choir or any other performing ensembles have an enhanced feeling of satisfaction and pride in their school. Having pride gives the students a reason to stay in school. Lamb has found that, especially in public schools, the lead-ers and the academic achievers were almost always involved in performing-arts programs.

Lamb further noted that even the top-tier engineering and science universities have musical ensembles composed of students who had a background that included music lessons.

Just 15 minutes a week of private keyboard instruction, along with group singing at pre-school, dramatically im-proved a kind of intelligence needed for high-level math and science, suggests a new study.

Music lessons appear to strengthen the links between brain neurons and build new spatial reasoning, says Psychologist Frances Rauscher of University of California-Irvine. “Music instruction can improve a child’s spatial in-telligence for long periods of time — perhaps permanently,” Rauscher told the American Psychological Association meeting according to the study in 1997.

Her study compared 19 preschoolers who took the lessons and 14 classmates enrolled in no special music programs. After eight months, she found:

• A 46 percent boost in spatial IQs for the young musicians 

• A 6 percent improvement for children not taught music

“If parents can’t afford lessons, they should at least buy a musical keyboard... or sing regularly with their kids and involve them in mu-sical activities,” Rauscher said.

Photo: There is a strong connection between educational achievement and music education.

Want to earn money to pay for your education? Scholarships are defined as “money that does not have to be repaid or free money earned because of per-formance.” Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC), businesses, religious and civic organizations, employers, philanthropic associations, individuals, colleges and universities, community agencies and foundations offer free money in the forms of scholarships, stipends or grants to fund educational goals. Do you assume that scholarships are unavailable to you because you do not have a 4.0 grade-point average? This is not only a fallacy, but will stop you from researching and applying for scholarships.

What is required and when is the best time to apply for scholarships?

FTCC’s curriculum areas of study (business programs, college transfer, general-education programs, engineering, public service, applied technology programs and health programs) offer numerous scholarships. Many of these scholarships may require no more than maintaining a “C” (2.0 GPA) or enrolling in relative programs. Yet, all educational scholarships, stipends or grants require that you take the initiative to research scholarship availability, complete the application process and meet deadlines (often beginning as early as January for consideration during the fall semester). Imagine the feeling of success (master student equals mas-ter employee) when you inform a potential employer that you financed your educa-tion through scholarships, stipends or grants.

How do I find scholarships that pertain to me?

The Financial Aid Office, Career Center at FTCC, College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC.org), online scholarship search engines, individual consults with colleges and universities, Google searches and sundry websites have numerous scholarships for which you may qualify. Include information that is unique to you, such as gender, ethnic background, academic achievement, demographics and major. You will be surprised by the diversity of scholarships available. Scholarship categories are almost endless and are inclusive of allied-health professionals, left-handed people and dislocated workers. Scholarships are available for teaching, nursing, accounting, fashion designing as well as business majors, high school graduates and minority scholarships, first-generation college students, single parents, creative writers, wacky scholarships, working moms and/or women over 50 years of age, moms going back to college and for heads of households.

How progressive and motivated am I?

Because many students are not willing to research and expend the time and effort to apply for scholarships, there are hundreds of millions of dollars in scholarship mon-ies available in the United States, and many — if not most — of these scholarships are attainable by regular students with regular accomplishments. The processes of working diligently toward academic progression, willingly conducting research, following directions when completing scholarship forms/assignments and meeting required deadlines in the pursuit of excellence are all opportunities that master students embrace. Students who go beyond what is expected to experience successful educational goals are usually students who receive awards and/or free money (scholarships) to pursue higher-educational goals.

Will a scholarship enhance transferable skills and help secure employment in a global economy?

Earning scholarships and other educational awards demonstrates transfer-able skills for which Fortune 500 business enterprises willingly pay megabucks. Students who receive scholarships for outstanding academic performance are the individuals who usually get the most lucrative jobs and/or enroll into bachelor and graduate degree programs. Why don’t you cash in on the financial and employability re-wards of scholarships?

Photo: Scholarship categories are almost endless.

There is plenty to see and do this month at 4th Friday. The Arts Council celebrates local talent with the Fayetteville Technical Community College Education for Life Exhibit. This juried show celebrates the 50th anniversary of FTCC. Look for a variety of 2-D original art works including watercolor, oil, pastel, acrylic and mixed media.

The top three pieces of work will be recognized with $1,750 in prize money during the shows opening.

Down the block at Cape Fear Studios, Excursions — Drawings by Michael Voors features the work of the internationally known artist. Voors is a professor of art at the School of Art and Design at Eastern Carolina University. He’s been a visiting artist or artist-in-residence at schools throughout Europe and the United States. Voors’ work has been shown around the world, including Amsterdam, Taiwan, New York and Ireland; it is also housed in many public and private collections including the Library of Congress, the Fogg Museum at Harvard University, the Diozesanmuseum in Cologne, Germany and the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Much of his work has been nourished by travel, in particular, locations that have an ancient or sacred character. The changing qualities of light and surfaces that reveal the passage of time and variations of architectural passages move the viewer toward larger associations and meanings. Voors is scheduled to teach a special workshop at Cape Fear Studios on March 17 and 18. Contact Cape Fear Studios at 433-2986 for more information.

The Downtown has some fun festivities planned this month, too. “February is going to be a blast for Fourth Friday! Between the Puppy Parade, the Mardi Gras-inspired pub-crawl and costume contest, no one will be in want of activities for the evening. In addition, Fayetteville’s own Greg Hathaway will be demonstrating the techniques that have made him a legend in this town at the Annual Bread and Bowls Event at Hay Street United Methodist Church. Even our fabulous downtown merchants are getting into the spirit with stores like So Chic Bebe offering mask making for the kids and Pierro’s offering a Mardi Gras themed martini! The event kicks off at 6 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m.,” said Kimberly Powers, event coordinator – 4th Friday Fayetteville.

Headquarters Library hosts and evening of drumming with Fayetteville’s drumming circle. This unique group has been drumming in the downtown area for 10 years. Founding members Ray King, Mithra Maraj, Neil Ray, Tom Hedgepeth, Corky Jones and others will fascinate listeners with many complex drumming sounds. Audience participation is welcome. Please bring your own percussion instruments. Refreshments are provided. This event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. and is going to be in the Pate Room. Contact the library at 483-7727 for more information.

Gallery One13, located at 113 Gillespie St., opens the Fayetteville Photography Club’s Just Photo’s exhibit, a juried photography competition. The opening reception is from 6-9 p.m. Awards will be announced at 8 p.m. Call Gallery One13 for more information at 223-2787.

Photo:  Ascend, charcoal image by Michael Voors, East Carolina University.

Each year the Home Builders Association of Fayetteville hosts the Carolina Home and Garden Show connecting area businesses in the housing industry with the community. The event runs Feb. 24-26 and promises to be full of exciting exhibits. Vendors representing every facet of the home and garden industry share the latest and greatest gizmos, gadgets, technologies and design trends to hit the market as well as tried and true products that have satisfied customers for years. You don’t have to be in the housing market to benefit from a trip to the Carolina Home and Garden Show. Throughout the weekend, guests speak on a variety of topics ranging from bees to lawn-care to gardening. Speakers include local experts as well and the Do It Yourself Network’s Jason Cameron.

Marshall Perry, director of marketing and sales at the Crown is looking forward to the event. “I’ve been in other markets and seen similar shows, but there is so much variety in this one and so many unique vendors, this will easily surpass other shows like this,” he said. “The speakers they have lined up are interesting and are speaking on relevant topics. This is going to be a great event, I encourage everyone to come out and join us at the Crown on that weekend.”

With more than 60 vendors registered to attend, the Carolina Home and Garden Show can answer all your home and garden questions in one visit and have you equipped for whatever project, renovation or upgrade you have in mind — indoors or out.

“We have some new vendors that we are really excited about,” said Natalie Fryer, Home BuildersAssociation of Fayetteville executive officer. “Two that come to mind are Backyard Etc. She has some really nice garden furniture that I think people will be drawn to. Green Biz is a local nursery. They’ve been with us for years and they opened a retail shop this year called Green Side Up Garden and Gifts. I expect people will be able to find some really unique and fun things for their gardens at their booth.”

If this season is more about ideas than projects, there is plenty of fresh perspective and inspiration to be had at this event. Not only do the vendors have products on display, many also have information and resources designed to assist the do-it-yourselfer.

“While the HBA doesn’t have any raffles for this event, I believe that some of the vendors have prizes, gifts and drawings going on,” said Fryer.

The guest speakers lined-up for the weekend have plenty of interesting topics to share with attendees. On Friday, Feb. 24, Kenny Bailey from the Cooperative Extension presents “Bees as Good Neighbors” at 1:30 p.m. At 3 p.m. Colby Lambert, also of the Cooperative Extension, speaks about “Trees in the Home Landscape.” Local gardening expert, Roger Mercer offers specifics on “The Best Perennials for Sun & Shade” at 4:30 p.m. Fryer noted that one of the strengths in having events like this is that it pulls the community together. “The Cumberland County Master Gardner Program is sponsoring some of our local speakers,” said Fryer. “PWC is sponsoring all of the events on Saturday, and we are really excited about that.”

On Saturday, Feb. 25, Jason Cameron of the DIY Network is scheduled to speak three times throughout the day. Cameron is a licensed home improvement contractor, finish carpenter, personal trainer, writer, actor, TV personality and fitness model. Cameron currently hosts Desperate Landscapes on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. and Man Caves on Fridays at 9 p.m. Both shows are on the DIY Network. He also worked as one of the carpenters on TLC’s While You Were Out for three years. Cameron is scheduled to speak at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

“We don’t know for certain what Jason is speaking about, but he is licensed home improvement contractor and when he was at the Home and Garden Show in Asheville he was very entertaining,” said Fryer. “We are really looking forward to having him here. We had Roy Underhill as a guest for the past several years and decided to change it up a bit, so this should be a little different from what we have been doing.”

Daylily fans are in for a treat on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. when Roger Mercer returns to the Carolina Home and Garden Show for “How to Grow Daylilies for Summer-long Color.” Jack Dewar rounds out Saturday with a presentation titled “Camellia Secrets” at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday’s three presenters follow an outdoor theme with topics ranging from lawn care to gardening. At 1 p.m. George Quigley speaks about low maintenance lawn care. At 2:30 p.m. Charles Allen of Green Biz Nursery follows with “Before Green was Cool.” George Quigley returns at 4 p.m. with gardening advice in “Eat What You Grow.”

With so much to see and do it’s easy to anticipate spending several hours at the event, so bring some money for a snack. The food court vendors are prepared to give customers plenty to munch on throughout the weekend.

The Carolina Home and Garden Show runs from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $6; children under ten are free. Find out more at www.carolinahomeandgardenshow.com.

Photo: Jason Cameron of DIY Networks Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves, is scheduled to speak on Saturday, Feb. 25, and the Carolina Home and Garden Show.

Caring for the Creatures Among Us

It was a wrenching moment, but hardly the first one I have had on this issue.

One of my morning newspapers carried a front page close-up last week of the face of a precious but sad-looking bulldog puppy with a black spot over one eye and a white one over the other. The image was captured during a raid of a Stokes County puppy mill from which about 160 puppies and dogs were rescued from crowded and filthy cages. A tour of other such photos on the newspaper’s website showed appalling conditions at this particular puppy mill, so if you are squeamish, you may want to skip over this part.

Animals who have had no veterinary care in their entire lives.

Animals who have been blinded by untreated eye infections.

Animals whose legs have become deformed from living in cages too small for their size.

Animals with mice in their cages.

Animals who cannot take a step without walking on their own urine and feces. Their coats are matted with their own waste.

Animals with wires sticking into their cages.

And the list goes on and on…

The newspaper quotes Phil Handy, Stokes County’s animal control director, as saying, “I’m relieved we were able to come to the aid of these dogs.”

In fairness, this particular puppy mill, Dan River Bullies, just north of Winston Salem, is hardly the only one in North Carolina, and is probably not the worst. Several hundred dogs at a time have been removed from other puppy mills in our state, and animal organizations say they have identified puppy mills in the rural areas of Cumberland County. Rural areas are attractive to such operations because they limit exposure from the public and from law enforcement authorities.

So what is a puppy mill?

It is a dog breeding facility where dogs are bred for profit and where overhead —food, cleanliness, living conditions and health care—are secondary to making money. Dogs bred — often in such facilities — are sold to an unsuspecting public over the Internet and sometimes in pet stores. The buyers have no clue they are getting dogs bred in such conditions. These dogs often have illnesses, serious medical and/or behavioral problems.

The bottom line for a puppy mill is that profit comes before the well-being of the animals.

The first time I ever heard of a puppy mill was in 2009 when I was serving in the North Carolina General Assembly. Legislation was being proposed that commercial dog breeders with more animals than could be pets would merely register with the state so that there would be a record of who and where they were. Breeders of dogs used in medical facilities and in pet stores already register. Most other small businesses register with the state by incorporating, so why should dog breeders be any different? It sounded like such a good idea to me that I signed on and became a sponsor of this legislation, which meant I advocated for it with my House and Senate colleagues.

Then came one of the most astounding and baffling political firestorms I have ever seen.

The simple notion that commercial dog breeders should register with the state like any other commercial enterprise brought down the wrath of our state’s powerful agricultural animal industry, primarily hog producers but some poultry producers as well. Their fear was that treating puppies humanely would somehow lead to more attention to the practices in their industries, including keeping pregnant sows in crates during the gestation process. Some even suggested that registering commercial dog breeders was the first step in making North Carolina a “vegetarian state.”

Really!

The bill passed the North Carolina Senate, but the House succumbed to industry pressure and the bill died. Puppy mills continue to operate, as the raid on Dan River Bullies graphically and sadly illustrates.

If you are looking for a pet dog, good for you! My dogs, and there have been many, continue to enrich my life.

A reputable and caring dog breeder will welcome you into his facility, so ask to see it. If someone offering to sell you a dog defers about an on-site visit with excuses like it is too “inconveniently located” or “I am in your neighborhood right now,” or asks to meet you in a parking lot, say “No!” and run for the hills. That soft and fluffy bundle of sheer puppy joy he is offering could come with heartache and major expenses.

Meanwhile, encourage our legislators — whoever may be elected this year — to develop some steel in their spines when the pork industry comes calling and to follow the lead of many other states in dealing with the very real and very damaging puppy mill industry.

How we treat animals bred for our pleasure, not our nourishment, tells us what kind of people we really are.

Photo: Animal organizations say they have identified puppy mills in the rural areas of Cumberland County. 

Chronical (Rated PG-13)   5 Stars

Generally speaking, I think found shaky-cam footage movies are not only irritat-ing, but migraine inducing. A movie needs to be pretty good for me to overlook the risk of a two day headache. Well, I know what I hate, and I didn’t hate Chronicle (84 minutes). For a relatively low-budget effort with the potential to be a bad CW super-powered melo-drama, it actually tells a relatively sophisticated story with eas-ily relatable themes. Yes, writing team Landis and Trank went a little heavy-handed on the Nietzschean Übermensch/Will-To-Power thing, but to be fair they probably thought they were being real subtle-like.

The film takes its time introducing its main characters. First up is Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan AKA Timbo from True Blood), a high school outsider who is “chronicling” his life with a video camera that’s at least 15-years-old. Andrew, who really should have found his niche in the AV club by now, is dealing with a few things. His mother is dying, his father (Michael Kelly) is a drunk and his personality is a bit hostile/defensive. As you can imagine, Andrew is quite the popular kid.

Andrew has a cousin, Matt (Alex Russell) who takes him to a party. Despite Matt’s excellent advice on how not to be a great big dork, Andrew decides to stay the course and naturally winds up crying into his camera outside. The BMOC, Steve (Michael B. Jordan), wanders over gig-gling and drags him into the woods to meet Matt, who has given up on the party. I guess? To go wander in the woods with Steve? Hmm. This part seems a bit clum-sy. It could either be a straight-up case of the writers just not thinking through this part very well, or the writers deciding too much explanation would be beside the point, or the mysterious force that eventually changes the newly formed triumvi-rate is somehow drawing them into the woods.

The mysterious force is apparently located deep in a hole in the ground, which means that if Andrew wants to get it on film, he needs to maneuver his giant an-tique camera down a vertical shaft. Possibly to his credit, or a credit to his naiveté, the possibility that the other two are planning to ditch him in the hole and stand over him laughing does not seem to cross his mind. While in the hole things get weird and the camera fizzes out. The next scene shows the boys playing with telekinesis in someone’s backyard as one boy off-handedly mentions that (a) they left the old camera in the hole and (b) Andrew has a cool new modern camera. Which begs the question: If the central conceit of the movie is that this is “found” footage, and the old camera got left in the hole, where did the first 20 minutes of the movie come from?

So at first, despite a few nosebleeds, the Super Best Friends Club has a ball, what with the sleepovers and scaring small children, and moving cars with their minds. Then Andrew has a whoopsie moment and they all agree that they need to voluntarily limit themselves and the way they use their powers.

After using the power of telekinetic flight to slip from the surly bonds of Earth, the boys decide that not even flying is more impor-tant than girls. Matt and Steve do their best to hook Andrew up, but Andrew has another whoopsie so that plan goes south. But it does set up the final act! See, as the movie goes on, Andrew has fewer and fewer reasons not to do exactly what he pleases, and more and more reasons to engage in a destructive rampage. Finally, in a super powered frenzy of narcis-sism and teenage angst, the boys work through the feelings by dropping cars and helicopters on each other.

Overall, it is nice to see a more focused take on the genre that actually manages to bring something new to the origin story. But, alas, no after credits scene.

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

Attention all Country-music fans: Miranda Lambert, two-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, is performing at the Crown Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 25.

While Lambert has dominated the CMA’s in the past, she is once again, nominated for two CMA Awards this year, including Female Vocalist. Miranda Lambert: On Fire is taking the United States by storm, and is blow-ing into Fayetteville to grace the community with some of her material from her new album, Four the Record. This is Lambert’s second time as a headliner at the Crown Coliseum since her 2010 tour, and the audience can expect a top-notch performance from her.

Lambert has two opening acts before she hits the stage at 7:30 pm; Jerrod Neimann and Chris Young, “They are both two young men who are up-and-coming country singers,” says Marshall Perry, director of marketing and sales at the Crown Coliseum. “

They are getting some press and notoriety in their own right.”

Neimann, who has five nominations for the upcoming American Country Awards, will feature some hits from his major debut album Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury.

Young, who is a CMA nominee for New Artist of the Year and has three American Country Award nominations including Breakthrough Artist of the Year, will play several hits from his number one album, Neon. The opening act will play from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., while Lambert prepares for her two hours in the spot light. The concert is expected to be a full three hours of nonstop excitement and entertainment.

The new album that Lambert is promoting Four the Record, has already had a lot of country air play and is in stores now. 

“She’ll be singing a lot of her new material but she’s got some fan favorites that I’m sure she’ll bring out and make it a great show for everybody,” says Perry. 

The concert is not yet sold out, but ticket sales are brisk, so get the tickets while you still can.

“We are set to be able to accommodate about 7,500 people for this show and we are at about 6,000seats sold right now,” says Perry. “We would rec-ommend that people that want to come tothis show hurry up and get their tickets because they’re going fast.”

Tickets are on sale at the Crown Center Box Office, or you can purchase them by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

“We’re very excited about having Miranda Lambert play at our venue she’s going to give a great, great show,” says Perry. Also, the Crown Coliseum suggests getting to the building early because of the large crowd.

Photo: Miranda Lambert is set to perfomr at the Crown on Feb. 25.

The 66th Annual Fayetteville Camellia Show will be held March 3-4, at the new $6.5 million visitor’s complex of the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Last year, more then 300 enthusiasts attended the camellia show comprised of more than 1,100 blooms.

“Having all these blooms in a centralized location will be a spectacular sight,” Jack Demar, of the Fayetteville Camellia Club.

The event is open and free for the public from noon to 5 p.m., during which time there will be blooms on display, educational seminars and camellias for sell.

“By having the event at the Botanical Garden, we are hoping to combine the audience of avid gardeners and interested newcomers,” explained Demar.

Cape Fear Botanical Garden will offer visitors activities to complement the camellia show. “Guided tours along the dappled shade paths of the Camellia Garden will showcase a colorful display of blooms,” Meg Suraci, assistant director of development and marketing, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, said. Children are invited to the Build-a-Camellia table to craft a flower to take home as a token of spring.

Prizes will be awarded in 25 different categories, including novice. Acclaimed members of the National Camellia Society will judge the blooms. The competition is open to everyone. To enter, bring blooms to the site between 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 3. Judging will take place from 10 a.m. to noon.

The show has a large draw, not just from people in the local area. Camellia growers from Virginia to Georgia travel to enter their blooms in the Fayetteville Camellia Show. Demar explains that he gets a thrill out of seeing local people displaying and winning awards for their blooms in such strong competition.

Camellias are known for adding color to the often-dreary, bleak winter scenery because of the blooming season from October to April. More than 12 varieties of top-quality camellia plants will be sold at the event along with a how-to care guide created by the Fayetteville Camellia Club.

Cape Fear Botanical Garden is part of the Camellia Trail, which celebrates the rich history of camellias. Forty-one different gardens from Massachusetts, down the east coast, to Texas and several on the West Coast highlight this blooming flower that is known for bringing joy as far back as almost 5,000 years ago in China.

Admission to the Cape Fear Botanical Garden is $8. Admission to the garden provides access to 77-acres of pine and hardwood forest and natural areas of the region’s indigenous plants, trees and wildlife. The cultivated garden areas showcase more than 2,000 varieties of ornamental plants, and include Daylily, Camellia and Hosta gardens. The Camellia Garden features more than 300 plants. If attending the Camellia Show a $2 discount on admission to the garden will be given.

“Beauty is precious and necessary, and does not need to be rare. Underlying our club’s mission is this simple fact: Anyone can grow a camellia, but most people don’t know it. We can help,” said Finely Bryan, Fayetteville Camellia Club president.

Photo: Camellias take centerstage at the 66th Annual Fayetteville Camellia Show.

The fashion world is one that many men and women love to embrace. From the catwalks to theamazing designers during fashion week who showcase their latest designs, I think it is safe to say that many young fashionistas might want to be a part of the high life discovered on the runway. Sada “Exclusive” Fashions will give many people the opportunity to embrace that very dream. The fashion line will have its first fashion show at the Holiday Inn Bordeaux on March 17 in support of the Arthritis Foundation.

Guest will get a chance to enjoy a great show with beautiful clothes while they help to support a good cause. Alexis Scott, the designer of Sada “Exclusive” Fashions, is very passionate about this fashion show because it hits close to home. At 23 years of age, the designer was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is a spinal disease caused by arthritis. This disease was something she felt she should never have had to face, especially at such a young age. The disease has made life that much more complex. Scott does not want people to take the situation lightly, because the disease can affect any age.

“So many people do not know a lot about arthritis and how serious it can be,” Scott says. “I want to open their eyes. That would make me very happy.”

What could be a better way to spread the message than to produce a fashion show? With the combination of runway and education, it gives the Fayetteville community the opportunity to become aware of a serious disease while enjoying the show.

“I have enjoyed every moment working with the foundation and the whole experience has really touched me,” Scott said during a recent interview.

The designer is no stranger to fashion shows. She showcased her designs at the Charlotte, North Carolina Fashion Week. However, this is Scott’s very first show that she has planned and created. This show allows Scott to express her support for this cause, while encouraging the entire community to become encompassed in an educational and moving experience. The show will include a wide variety of entertainment, from raffl e-ticket prizes, talented entertainers, models from all over the region and much, much more. Scott has been planning the show since last April and the process has been time consuming, but the work has brought her great joy.

“People that come to the show can expect fun, entertainment and glamour,” Scott said. “We still represent the brand with style and class.”

“I’ve been doing this since I was 5 and I would play with my Barbie and cut their clothes into different styles. My mom recognized my talent,” Scott explains. “She was my motivation.”

Sada “Exclusive” Fashions represents individuality in its design. There usage of bold colors and unique styles, adds a distinctive fl air that is truly one of a kind. By only creating 3,000 per style, Sada “Exclusive” Fashions provides their customers with limited and exclusive designs. The word Sada when translated in Japanese means “pure one.” The clothing line is targeted for teen girls and young adults. Scott wanted to create a line that sent the message that a woman can still look fabulous and glamorous without revealing too much skin. Elegance and sophistication is vital in Sada “Exclusive” Fashions.“

The name sada stands for sophisticated attractive diva with an attitude,” Scott explains. “That is what my clothing line stands for.”

Sada “Exclusive” Fashion carries a wide range of clothing items including business suits, casual wear, formal wear, lingerie, shoes, jewelry and denim.

The show begins at 4:30 p.m. Tickets for the show are $35 and can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com. For more information about future events, visit www.sadafashions.com or www.arthritis.org. You may also contact Scott at (910)992-1335.

Photo: SADA Fashions are geared toward teens and young adults.

Time and time again we hear about people talking about the smallest half helmet and we hear them asking where they can find one. The truth of the matter is that the smallest helmet isn’t always necessarily the best one.

There are a number of things that you should think about when you begin your search for the smallest helmet. One thing that you might want to ask yourself is will the smallest half helmet provide you with the necessary protection. Many times those who try to make a helmet that is really small will skim on the parts that matter the most.

One part of the helmet that manufacturers might take shortcuts on is the inner padding. In order to make the outer shell of the helmet small, you have to reduce the size of what is inside of the helmet right? This isn’t necessarily the best way to go because it reduces the effectiveness of the helmet all together. DOT helmets are made to meet certain standards that are set in place in order to provide safe helmets for riders. If your helmet does not meet these standards, then you should question whether or not it is right for you. Beware of those that claim to have the smallest helmet because it may not necessarily be the safest one for you.

Appearance often has a lot to do with how riders pick their gear. The helmet is certainly no exception, which is why many riders really don’t care what it looks like on the inside as long as it looks good on the outside. Unfortunately, this isn’t the right attitude to have when it comes to your helmet. Safety should always be your number one priority.

Finally, you might want to inspect the materials used to make the supposed smallest half helmet before you purchase it. There may be some instances where manufacturers will skim on the materials used in order to make the helmets smaller. This means that the outer shell might be thinner than normal. Again, this isn’t going to make the safest helmet for the rider. Instead, look for helmets that have thick polycarbonate shells that will hold strong against high impact pressure.

The next time you shop for a helmet, ask yourself whether or not you are willing to sacrifice your safety for the appearance. This might help you make your decision when considering which one to buy.

The ongoing saga of the Prince Charles started a new chapter last month, as the county began proceedings to enforce a lien on the hotel property. The lien, the result of a $77,000 debt to the city related to unpaid fines by the property’s owner, John Chen, will be satisfied via public auction unless Chen pays the fi nes.

Chen, a New York developer, bought the hotel in 2007 for $1.9 million at a public auction to satisfy a loan foreclosure. At that time, Chen announced plans to create an apartment/business center at the hotel. Instead, he started doing internal demolition on the hotel to create low-cost apartments in the downtown sector.

Chen failed to file the necessary permits for the work he was doing in the hotel, and the property failed city and fire inspections, resulting in the ousting of the residents and the shuttering of its doors. The fi nes began racking up when Chen replaced one of the hotel’s wooden windows with a vinyl window. Because the hotel is on the National Historic Register, as well as being designated a Local Historical Landmark, all work done on the exterior of the buiding must be in keeping with its historical construction.

Although Chen later replaced the vinyl window with a wooden one, he had accumulated $77,000 in fi nes, and refused to pay them. A judge ordered Chen to pay the fines, and instead, he left the city and returned to New York.

On Jan. 26, the city filed papers requesting the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department enforce the judgement through a public auction. The auction could be averted if Chen pays the fi ne; however, that does not seem likely, according to the sheriff’s attorney, Ronnie Mitchell.

The question looming now is what will become of the grand old structure, which is starting to show signs of decay. The city, concerned for the safety of pedestrians, closed off the sidewalk in front of the hotel after external concrete fell off the building. It has been estimated that more than $500,000 is needed to bring the facility up to code.

Fayetteville’s historical property manager Bruce Daws, believes that returning the hotel to a useable facility is feasible.

“It is a very robust, Colonial revival structure,” said Daws, during a recent interview. “At the time of its construction, it was very elegant. Investors purchased the hotel in the early ‘90s and gutted a lot of it and reworked it.”

Daws said the building has suffered from a lot of deferred maintenance — painting windows, caulking and replacing wood, but that the building itself is structurally sound.

“It is not too far gone,” he said.

Daws said the hotel is important from a local and historical standpoint.

“The Prince Charles was built through community support,” said Daws. “The city sold bonds to construct it. It speaks to our automotive, transportation history. Fayetteville was the halfway point for North and South bound traffi c on U.S. 301 (pre I-95); and the hotel captured patrons from the Old Atlantic Coastline Railroad. It was in the city’s best interest at that time to promote itself as a halfway point and cater to the tourist trade so a new, modern hotel was constructed.”

Daws has heard of people advocating that the structure be torn down but feels that is not the answer. “It is our responsibility to explore options to save the hotel, restore it and maintain it,” he said. “It is the only large remaining hotel in the landscape of the historic downtown — erasing it from the landscape would not be in the best interest of the district at all.”

Daws said if the facility cannot make it as a hotel, there are other options that could prove feasible.

“Downtown apartments are very popular. It could be converted into office space,” said Daws. “It would make a wonderful museum space. There is pretty much a free hand from a historic standpoint with the interior — the Historic Resources Commission only looks at the exterior. A building of that size has a number of different options, but the popularity of living downtown is pretty great. Downtown apartments stay full. We frequently receive calls asking if there are any vacancies in the downtown area.

“But tearing it down is not the answer. It is a grand hotel. It has a beautiful outward appearance that adds to the charm of downtown. Once you tear it down, it’s gone forever. It is something that needs to stay in the downtown landscape,” concluded Daws.

The Time has come Up & Coming Weekly saw it coming as the publication has on a number of downtown issues. This time it is the ultimate and final demise of the Prince Charles Hotel. The old girl has run her course and the outcome, called for by UCW writers as far back as three years ago, is now clearly foreseeable.

Of course there are those that want to deny the hotel’s death rattle, continue compressions, rush the building EMTs to her bedside and put her on life support. But the inevitable is at hand. Have the wrecking ball standing by and advise John Chen to get the family together. Of course Chen may not be the owner in a few weeks and if that should be so then all bets are off. Latest news is that the county, at the city’s direction, is planning to serve foreclosure papers on Chen and have the hotel sold at public auction. Should that be the case and the building is sold, another chapter, in a litany of chapters about the Prince Charles Hotel will begin.

My bet is that the auction will not find any suitable bidders except Chen.

Chen has tried the patience of Fayetteville’s long tolerant city fathers and city manager enough. Now the condition of the building has deteriorated to the point that if Chen continues to hide in his New York City bunker, refusing to respond to telephone calls and emails, he may return here one day to find his Prince Charles Hotel has become the Prince Charles parking lot. There’s the matter of fines and other invoices from the city that have not been satisfied. The latest is the disconnection of the building’s electricity which has created a serious fire issue. Before that the building began shedding its masonry in large chunks offering adventure and excitement for those who would brave the north side of that section of Hay Street.

Let’s get serious about the Prince Charles Hotel. First of all, the building is currently Chen’s problem. It is not the Fayetteville City Council’s problem, at least not yet but the city must very soon adopt the old building and its associated issues as its own or put it on the auction block as announced. As has been carefully pointed out in the past, Chen knew or should have known all of the troubles surrounding the hotel when he made his ill-advised but successful bid to buy it.

The hotel, for reasons that are somewhat obscure to me, is on the Historical Register. That means that changes to the building’s exterior must comply with state and city rules for such structures. That regulation is where Chen and city government first crossed swords. But needed attention to exterior matters was only given lip service by Chen. Things got worse.

Tenants were evacuated due to fire-code violations. Today the people that care about our city have had enough of John Chen and his obstinacy. If a commercial building, apartments or residential structure in Fayetteville were to be in such poor and unsafe condition as the Prince Charles Hotel the city would move to demolish the offending edifice and would send the property owner the bill for the demolition costs.

The hotel will receive a life extension because it is on the National Register of historic buildings. That does not mean the life extension will be forever. The hotel is also in the city’s historic district which counts for something although it should not. According to Bruce Daws, Fayetteville’s historic properties manager, a procedure to demolish a building on the historic register is protracted and fraught with obstacles to prevent the needed execution. A certificate of appropriateness must be prepared and presented to the city’s Historic Resources Commission. That organization does look askance at any effort to tear down Fayetteville’s old buildings. But it does happen.

A case for the demolition has to be made that can override subjective arguments to let it stand.

If in the Historic Resouurce Commission’s infinite wisdom the decision is life rather than letting the building ride the equivalent of the death-house gurney, what use can be made of the derelict building? It has failed a sufficient number of times as a hotel, dare we say every time, and to the point that all should accept that it cannot function successfully as an accommodation source. Gut it and build upscale condos or apartments is another poorly considered idea that would go nowhere with credit providers. Maybe a minimum fix up and let the homeless live there. Perfect. It would be magnet for the under the bridge dwellers right in the heart of downtown.

Perhaps it could be made into an office building. Maybe it could, but the cost would far exceed that of a same size new building and then there’s the still unsold PWC building where a line of buyers is yet to form.

If the save-old-downtown-structures crowd continues to have their way and say the rest of us will be required to involuntarily tolerate this wart on the city’s nose. But one day sanity and practicality will prevail over sentimentality and a higher and better use will be given to the ground now occupied by the Prince Charles Hotel. Let us hope that day is soon.

Photo:  The sidewalk in front of the Prince Charles Hotel is blocked because pieces of the building’s facade have been falling. The historic building may be up for demolition.

The Business Programs Division of Fayetteville Technical Community College is proud to highlight four new curriculum certificates out of several that will be offered in the fall 2012 semester.

These certificates were developed based primarily on feedback from our Program Advisory Committees and input from several other business and industry partners regarding skills and competencies needed in today’s workforce.

Two of the certificates are business-management related, and two are information-technology related.

Our new business-management related certificates are the nonprofit-management certificate and the project-leadership certificate.

The nonprofit-management certificate is designed to provide individuals with the fundamental principles of nonprofit management. The course covers fundraising, stewardship, governance, leadership, marketing and legal/ethical issues related to nonprofit organizations.

The project-leadership certificate includes learning the basics of project management, acquiring the skills necessary to lead a successful project team, utilizing the collective knowledge of groups and managing a team through the process of completing a project.

The two new information-technology related certificates are the Microsoft desktop-support certificate and the social-media certificate.

The Microsoft desktop-support certificate is designed to develop proficiency in end-user support skills, procedures and processes necessary to support an IT operating system. Upon completion, students should be able to prepare for industry-level certifications and utilize advanced support tools to resolve end-user problems.

The social-media certificate focuses on using social media in a business or organizational setting. Topics include using popular social-media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, et al, as part of marketing or branding strategies), blogging, using social-media analytical tools and ensuring compliance with industry standards.

As an added bonus, all these certificates are positioned under the umbrella of a related associate in applied science degree, so all credit hours earned in the certificate can be applied toward completion of the related A.A.S. degree.

FTCC is excited to begin offering these and other new certificates in the fall 2012 semester! For additional information, please contact William Griffin (dean of business programs) at 678-8564 or via email at griffinw@faytechcc.edu.

The Fayetteville FireAntz are in action in a trio of home games in the following weeks. So check your calendars and head out to one of the three upcoming home games to support your Fayetteville FireAntz.

On Friday, Feb. 17, the Fayetteville FireAntz will host a very special night for the Fayetteville Animal Protection Society. Game time is 7:30 p.m. and will be against the Huntsville Havoc.

The FireAntz will honor one of the most progressive shelters in North Carolina, a shelter which prides itself on its policy of no-Kill. The Fayetteville Animal Protection Society has been rescuing and sheltering animals for 28 years and is a great place to visit if you are looking for a new addition to your family or unable to keep your current pet.

FAPS was once known as Animal Haven of Cumberland County, but changed its name after several years, and a great deal of discussion, to Fayetteville Animal Protection Society to better reflect the area the shelter serves, and to speak of its interest in humane education, spay/neuter outreach and legislative changes in regards to the treatment of animals.

With your help, FAPS continues to grow as one of the most progressive shelters in the state of North Carolina. Its focus not only includes creating and providing a safe haven for animals, but also the further education of the community to prevent the problems associated with unwanted pets through a spay/neuter outreach and humane education programs which are available to both adults and children.

The following week, Wednesday, Feb. 22, the FireAntz will host its 5th Annual Public Safety Night. This game will be against league rivals, the Knoxville Ice Bears. Multiple counties will have emergency-vehicle displays in the North VIP parking lot.

Children and adults will have the chance to learn all about these emergency vehicles and will get to see the inside workings of the emergency vehicles.

Also that week, Friday, Feb. 24, the FireAntz will be celebrate their 10-year anniversary. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. and will see the FireAntz taking on the Augusta Riverhawks. The FireAntz will sport special anniversary jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game. Come out, support and celebrate with us!

You can check out the rest of the season to find game times, FireAntz community visits and upcoming events at the website www.fireantzhockey.com or you can contact the FireAntz Office by phone at 321-0123.

Gather your friends and family to come out and enjoy Fayetteville FireAntz hockey where fire and ice unite!

Who does not want to experience a night of red-carpet luxury? Well look no further because Hollywood glamour arrives at one of the newest event venues to hit the Fayetteville scene, SkyView on Hay, Sat. Feb 25.

Evening with the Stars, an Oscar pre-party is hosted by the Partnership for Children, is guaranteed fun and a chance for people to come out and experience a red-carpet event. Being chauffeured in newest model from Lafayette Ford Lincoln, guests will walk the red carpet in style while being interviewed by the event’s own Joan Rivers. Great food will be provided for the guest and it’s a great opportunity to enjoy an excellent night on the town at one of the newest venues in the Fayetteville community.

Lindsey Haire,the event’s volunteer coordinator, says the event is the organization’s fourtth annual Oscar night pre-party and the SkyView’s first event, with the exception of weddings, since its opening this month.

“We have had great turnouts in the past and we expect to have a big turnout at this event.” Haire explains. “We will have entertainment from The World Famous Dueling Piano Show as well as delicious food.”

SkyView on Hay Street is an excellent place to have the event. With its recent opening in February,the downtown venue is one of the most elegant venues in downtown. The chic setting is perfect for a red-carpet affair and guests should be most pleased. Owners of the venue are very excited about the event as well.

Guests will enjoy this Oscar evening that is in support of such a worthy cause. All the proceeds for the event benefit two priority projects sponsored by the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County: Partnership’s Kidstuff and Government and Military Affairs.

“We want people to come out and support Kidstuff and the Military Affairs,” Haire says.

The Partnership for Children of Cumberland County is a nonprofit organization that focuses on making a difference in the lives of children in Cumberland County. The organization develops high-quality programs for children that nurture healthy development and progress. The mission of the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County is to build partnerships with families and the community so that all children have the opportunity to succeed in school and be prepared to contribute to the community’s social and economic future.

Beginning as a partnership with Smart Start in 1993, the organization has grown into a well-respected nonprofit organization with a diverse and talented range of people who work hard to create an outstanding organization. The organization has many funded programs to help the community such as Read To Me, art-trunk parents kits, Kindermusik and Music Therapy Connection to name a few. The Partnership for Children of Cumberland County is an excellent source to gain insight on any issue related to early-childhood education, looking for large networks of teacher and childcare providers, information on accredited childcare and preschool programs or any of the latest expert opinions on the care of children up to age 5.

After the event on Saturday, Cameo Art House Theatre members are invited to a party at the theatre on Sunday. For no additional cost, the members also have the opportunity to watch the televised Oscars at the theatre as well.

Evening with the Stars Oscar pre-night party begins at 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. Tickets prices range from $60 to $100. Cameo Theatre members and Fayetteville Young Professionals will pay only $40. Tickets may be purchased online by visiting www.ccpfc.org.

Photos:  Above and right, members of the community dress has their favorite Hollwood stars.

The Grey(Rated R)  4 Stars

See, there’s this guy. He might seem like an ordinary guy, but then something happens, and he becomes a special agent/mercenary/special forces guy/survival-ist/MacGuyver/Superman. Related to this, he is a crack shot, does stuff with chewing gum and duct tape, and is always the last man standing. Like the modern day superhero he is supposed to be, this character typically has one major superpower. For example, in Kinsey, he played a character with a really big … brain. Alongside this superpower, he also has one major weakness. For example, in Unknown, he has amnesia. Well, if Joe Carnahan can pull off The A-Team, I guess he can pull this off too.

John Ottway (Neeson) is a sharpshooter working for an Alaskan drilling company, but he doesn’t really seem to enjoy his job or his co-workers very much. Or, at least this is what I am led to believe by his frequent use of the phrase “scum of the earth.” The job finished, he and the team of dirty, hairy guys prepare to fly out. But wait! They crash into the Andes Mountains and need to eat each other to survive!

Ok, that doesn’t happen. But there is a crashing-in-a-snow-storm scene that is easily as cool as the one in Alive. When he recovers from being slammed into the ground at a fantastic rate of speed, he finds his hat and checks around the flaming wreckage. By nightfall, he has alpha-maled the other survivors into a more or less cohesive pack. His pack includes Hendrick (Dallas Roberts), Diaz (Frank Grillo), and Talget (Dermot Mulroney), and a whole lot of red-shirt wearing can-non fodder.

The next morning, realizing that they crash landed in the hunting territory of a wolf pack, Ottway mobilizes his pack to get out of dodge. PSA: wolves are beauti-ful majestic creatures that should not be hunted or molested. When you crashland your noisy smelly plane into their home, soaking the earth with blood and gasoline, do not take their efforts to defend themselves personally. End PSA.

The group plans to hike to a nearby wood, and never thinks about the value of making snowshoes. Which will come back to haunt them in a big way, as they spend most of the movie sinking up to their hips in snowdrifts. The wolves track the group, trying to pick them off one at a time. This forces them to continue moving despite the fact (that Ottway should know) that if you are lost in the woods you are supposed to stay put until the rescuers find you. A nice wolf pack/human pack parallel develops, when some members of the human pack try to challenge Ottway, just as subordinate wolves try to challenge the alpha wolf. In both cases, the alpha wins pretty decisively.

I guess spending a few days starving out in the freezing cold and being chased by a wolfpack makes you stupid, because when the guys come across a deep ravine, they decide they are expert knot tiers and plan to jump the gorge by creating a rope from jackets and stuff. Does it count as a spoiler if I tell you that it doesn’t go according to plan?

As the men receive increasingly hilarious injuries, the film verges on cliché, with Ottway screaming into the sky in a search for God or something. It doesn’t fit the tone of the movie, and really does slow the film’s climax.

At this point in his career, you can pretty much write a Liam Neeson “man-with-a-certain-set-of-skills” action thriller with a homemade plot generator. Like all the rest, The Grey (117 minutes) is a moderately enjoyable addition to his already long, long, list of action-thrillers, and if you like Neeson, you will like this. Of course, some might complain about the ending. If it means that much to you, stick around for the final scene after the credits.

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

It is too bad that sports reporters and historians at Atlantic Coast Conference headquarters are not reading ACC Basketball. This UNC Press book by Sam Walker was published last year and chronicles the game during the conference’s first 20 years. On the other hand, maybe it is a good thing for my old basketball coach, Lefty Driesell.

How do I know sports reporters and ACC staffers are not read-ing the new book? It came out in the controversy that developed about UNC Coach Roy Williams taking most of his players off the court 14 seconds before the game ended in Carolina’s recent loss to Florida State. Williams thought the game was ending early. One story line in the following days was about other times that ACC basketball games ended early.

After checking with an ACC staffer, the Raleigh News & Observer reported, “As best as anyone can tell, UNC’s loss at Florida State would have been just the second ACC game to end before time expired. The first time it happened — and apparently the only time — came in Maryland’s 60-55 home victory against N.C. State on Jan. 7, 1967.”

If the ACC and N&O had read ACC Basketball, they would have found, on page 2, Sam Walker’s description of another early game ending when Maryland played South Carolina in Columbia. “On December 16, 1970, South Carolina was cruising to an easy victory when, with 4:52 remaining in the game, two players got into a shoving and elbow-throwing skirmish. Both benches rushed to the aid of their teammates, and a slugfest broke out. As Driesell tried to separate players and stop the melee, he was struck twice by South Carolina forward John Ribock. The fracas continued for about four min-utes before police managed to halt the fighting and the referees decided to end the game.”

That story of another early ending is not the “good thing” for Coach Driesell.When I read and enjoyed ACC Basketball I asked UNC Press to send him a copy, thinking he would enjoy some of the stories about him.

I was wrong. Driesell called me the day after he got the book. “I’m going to sue them,” he said. Hepointed to a paragraph in the book about the recruitment of basketball star Charlie Scott in 1966. Scott was headed to Davidson, where Driesell was coaching, until Coach Dean Smith persuaded him to go to Carolina. It said that when Smith and Driesell met afterwards, “Smith offered his hand to Driesell and said something along the lines of ‘no hard feelings.’ A fuming Driesell indicated that there were indeed some hard feel-ings by spitting on Smith’s outstretched palm.”

Driesell was livid. “I would never spit on anybody’s hand. That is terrible.”

He was worried about his friends’ reactions and especially about what “Dean’s family would think.”

Thanks to ECU athletic director, and Driesell’s assistant coach at the time, Terry Holland, the book’s version was corrected. Holland told Walker and UNC Press that “I was standing right beside Coach Driesell and can guarantee that there was no spit-ting involved.”

As a result, the new printing of ACC Basketballrevises its report to say simply, “Driesell looked down at Smith’s hand and shook his head to indicate that he was not ready to concede defeat.”

So the good thing for Driesell about reporters not reading ACC Basketball yet, is that when they do, he can hope they will read the revised version and not see a word about spitting.

“But what about people who read the earlier version?” Driesell asked me.

“All I can do,” I told him, “is write a column that says you didn’t spit in anybody’s hand, and my readers will know the truth.”

Photo: The good thing for Driesell about reporters not reading ACC Basketball yet, is that when they do, he can hope they will read the revised version and not see a word about spitting.

Despite his recent stumbles in Colorado and Minnesota, Mitt Romney is still the favorite to win the Republican nomination for president. As Democratic and Republican strategists begin to work on their general-election strategies, swing states such as North Carolina will be their main focus. But the presiden-tial race, as important as it is, won’t be the only political story that focuses on battleground states.

Republican hopes to hold their majority in the U.S. House and win control of the U.S. Senate will hinge on the fate of key races in a handful of states. Some but not all of these are also battleground states in the presidential race. Similarly, Republican efforts to secure their newfound power in state capitals will focus on at least four gubernatorial races and battles for control of legisla-tive chambers in about a dozen states.

The indispensable website RealClearPolitics lists 25 seats in the U.S. House as most likely to flip from one party to another. Three states have multiple seats in play: Illinois with five, and California and North Carolina with four each. Our state’s most competitive House races will be in 7th, 8th, 11th, and 13th districts, all currently held by Democrats but made more competitive for GOP candidates by GOP-led redistricting. These four districts span the length of the state, with the 7th District covering Southeastern North Carolina, the 8th District stretching from the Sandhills to the outskirts of Charlotte, the 13th District including parts of Wake County and Eastern North Carolina, and the 11th District covering the western mountains.

These House races partially make up for the fact that our state has no Senate race this cycle. Nationally, Republicans need four seats to win a major-ity in the upper chamber. The GOP is currently favored to pick up Democratic seats in North Dakota and Nebraska. No current GOP seats are in similar danger. Of the eight Senate races rated as toss-ups, six are Democratic and two (Massachusetts and Nevada) are Republican.

At the state level, Republicans spent 2009, 2010 and 2011 achieving their greatest political victories since the 1920s. At the start of the year, Republicans held 29 of the nation’s governorships, with 20 in Democratic hands and one independent (Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island). There are 27 Republican leg-islatures, 15 Democratic ones, seven splits, and one nonpartisan (Nebraska). Republicans hold 53 percent of state-senate seats and 54 percent of state-house seats.

In 2012, it’s fair to say that Republicans will be playing offense in state-wide races while Democrats will be playing offense in legislative races. Only one Republican governorship — a Wisconsin recall election for Scott Walker — appears to be in danger in 2012, while Democratic governorships in Washington, Montana, New Hampshire and North Carolina are all very much in play. As for legislative politics, the impact of redistricting, demographic shifts and local political and economic factors has yet to be fully analyzed. Nevertheless, it seems likely that there will be spirited battles over control of at least one legislative chamber in Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington, among others.

Add all this up, and here’s one way to think about the various electoral battlegrounds for 2012:

• Triple-crown states will host competitive races for president, competitive races for either U.S. Senate or multiple U.S. House seats, and competitive races for either governor or legislative control. There are four triple-crowns at the moment: Montana, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

• Double-crown states will host competitive races for president as well as key federal or state contests. They include Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Of the triple-crown states, I figure that North Carolina and Wisconsin will draw the most national attention, the former because of this year’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte and the latter because of last year’s high-profile battle over labor union power.

So if you are a political junkie, a political journalist, a po-litical operative, or a purveyor of political advertising, North Carolina is a wonderful place to be at the moment.

Controlling Blood Pressure is One Key to Heart Health

High blood pressure can lead to more than just heart problems. Among other things, it is directly related to decreased cognitive functioning, according to research. That’s why it is important to carefully monitor a senior with high blood pressure.

Q. My 75-year-old widowed mother just had a physical and her doctor said her heart is in great shape. She does have borderline high blood pressure, though, so the doctor prescribed a medication. Are there other things she could do?

A. It sounds as if your mother has taken good care of herself if her heart is in such a healthy condition. One important component of good heart health is blood pressure, and the risk of high blood pressure does seem to increase with age, according to the American Heart Association. In fact, 90 percent of Americans over the age of 50 have a lifetime risk of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure can lead to other problems, too. Increased blood pressure in older adults is directly related to decreased cognitive functioning, particularly among seniors with already high blood pressure, research reveals. This means that stressful situations may make it more difficult for some seniors to think clearly.

Dr. Jason Allaire is an assistant professor of psychology at N.C. State University and co-author of a study on high blood pressure and cognitive function. Allaire explains that study subjects whose average systolic blood pressure was 130 or higher saw a significant decrease in cognitive function when their blood pressure spiked. However, Allaire notes, study subjects whose average blood pressure was low or normal saw no change in their cognitive functioning-even when their blood pressure shot up.

So how do you navigate around high blood pressure and its consequences? Your mom’s doctor will be her best source of information for lifestyle and diet changes.

“High blood pressure remains an epidemic in the United States, but it can be prevented,” said Lawrence Appel, M.D., lead author of an American Heart Association scientific statement, published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

“By improving their diet, people can reduce their blood pressure and put a major dent in their risk of stroke, coronary heart disease and heart failure,” said Appel, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

The statement also recommends combining an overall healthy diet with weight loss, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, limiting alcohol consumption, lowering salt intake and increasing potassium intake.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood institute Health Information Center recommends following its Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) plan. The DASH eating plan is rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds and nuts. Talk to your doctor about whether the DASH plan will work for you. The plan also recommends being moderately active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.

If your mother lives alone, you might want to consider a companion for her. Encourage her to develop a relationship with someone who shares some of her same health interests and concerns.

Here’s hoping your mother has many more years of healthy heart living.

Photo: One important component of good heart health is blood pressure.