Indescribable! That was the feeling I had while gliding around the Raleigh Beltway. Underneath me was the new BMW K1600 GTL. The GTL (Grand Touring Luxury) is BMW’s newest at-tempt at taking on the world with its ma-chines. Riding the GTL’s 1649cc, 160hp, in-line six-cylinder engine was like being on top of my own little rocket.

I did not plan on riding that day, but I was at Capitol BMW and the bike was sitting there on the showroom floor. After sitting on the bike a few minutes, I wanted to feel it move. Capitol BMW is one of the few bike dealerships that lets you go for test rides. So I asked Greg, the sales man-ager, if I could take it out. He kindly pulled it out of the showroom while I grabbed my helmet from my car.

It was only a few months ago that I sold my BMW K1200 LT (Luxury Touring). I thought I was going to be riding an LT replacement, but once I sat on the GTL I realized it was not a replacement but something new and exciting. Ergonomically this bike is a perfect fit for me. The bike is lower, slicker, 100 pounds lighter and smarter.

As Greg explained some of the new features, controls and technologies to me I found it easy to understand. It only took a few minutes to figure out the logic of this machine.

Once the engine started the sound was unlike any engine I have ever heard. It may have had something to do with the six-hole exhaust. The sound was as unique as the bike itself. As the dashboard lit up, it reminded me of something you would see on the bridge of Star Trek. Wow!

As I twisted the throttle, I had to tell myself to go easy! Once I was on the road and I got the feel of the bike, the first thing I did was adjust the electronic wind-shield to get some air flowing. As I rotated the multi-controller instrument wheel with my thumb, the dash board displayed a menu of selections. I quickly found a radio station I liked; I cranked up the volume and set off to find a groove.

The multi-controller is the first of a kind controller on a bike. It is a wheel — much like a joy stick, except it’s a wheel. It is positioned on the inside of the left hand grip. It rotates with a flick of the thumb and you can push side to side to navi-gate the menus. This controls everything from the Sirius radio, radio or iPod to the suspension and traction settings, temperature, oil, navigation and more menus and information than I have room for here.

The GTL has DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) which adjusts the engine torque and is designed to reduce the risk of wheel spin on various pavements. The DTC modes include “rain”, “road” and “dynamic” controls. The ESA II (Electronic Suspension Adjustments II) allows you to quickly adjust the bike for a passenger or luggage. With the multi-controller I was able to switch between “comfort”, “nor-mal” and “sport” suspension on the fly.

The new audio system is very easy and sweet to use. Fortunately for me I had brought my helmet that has built in Bluetooth. Within less than a minute my headset was paired up with the bike. I was extremely surprised by the quality of music com-ing through my headset. The bike has a lower compartment which houses connec-tions for USB, iPod or MP3 devices. Unfortunately, BMW does not offer a wired helmet option.

BMW offers an optional in-dash Motorrad Navigator IV GPS system. This GPS is removable and secured by a clever mounting system for which the wind-shield doubles as a guard against theft.

There are no mountain twisty roads in Raleigh but I was able to loop around a few on and off ramps. The bike was tight and fast, much like that of a sports bike while in the “dynamic” mode. On the highway it was almost effortless to pass cars. At higher speeds I could not feel any vibration or any wind buffeting.

BMW is offering this bike in two different flavors; the K1600 GTL and K1600 GT model. As BMW is going after the Gold Wing market with the GTL, they are also going after the sports-touring market with the K1600 GT. The GT has a firmer rear suspension for more rebound dampening. The GT’s seating position is more aggressive. The foot pegs are an inch back and an inch higher for a more sporting riding position.

The GTL is designed for a passenger, speed, control, long-dis-tance riding and comfort. The only bad thing I could think of is that with a bike like this I would have to move west to one of those states with no speed limits and wide open roads.Ride Safe!

Photo: The GTL has DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) which adjusts the engine torque and is designed to re-duce the risk of wheel spin on various pavements.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

(Rated PG-13) 5 STARS

I loved it even though it made me cry. In retrospect, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (130 minutes) is better than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. That could be because with this caliber of acting, di-recting, and writing there was no way the final movie was going to be like other franchises that ran out of steam (Godfather 3, need I say more?) or because the second half of the source material isn’t just the climax of one great book, but of seven.

After the burial of Dobby, the major players (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, as if I needed to remind anyone) head back into Shell Cottage to speak with Griphook the Goblin (Warwick Davis, who also reprises the role of Professor Flitwick) and Ollivander the wandmaker (John Hurt). Ollivander tells them some relatively plot-important information about wands, and then they decide to make a deal with Griphook to break into Bellatrix Lestrange’s (Helena Bonham Carter) vault at Gringotts, which goes about as well as you would expect.

Since Dumbledore did most of the heavy lifting in discovering the hard to identify Horcruxes and setting Harry on their trail, the track now leads from one to the next with relative simplicity … too bad destroying them gets harder. In any case, having escaped from Gringotts with no time to consider that all their obvious hiding places have been booby-trapped, they apparate into Hogsmeade. To the surprise of no one except Ron and Harry, an alarm brings a ton of Death Eaters instantly to their location. Aberforth Dumbeldore (Ciaran Hinds) rescues them, and Neville Longbottom (Mathew Lewis) leads them into Hogwarts. Everyone seems really happy to see them, until they figure out that the legendary Harry Potter is actually pretty clueless when it comes to telling them what they need to do next.

Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), now the headmaster of Hogwarts, calls all the students into the main hall. After a few moments of Snape drawing out his moment in the sun (or maybe Rickman just took a Xanax before filming this scene?), Harry confronts him, and Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) finally grows a pair and sends Snape packing. Meanwhile, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) lays down a psychic whammy, which leads to the imprisonment of Slytherin House. Way to reinforce the division of students into good and bad categories! Of course, this happens in the book, too — even though it is dem-onstrated numerous times throughout the series that many Hogwarts students of all houses turn on Harry when it is convenient only to suck up to him when he saves the day. But I digress.

Ron and Hermione run off to make out while Harry heads to the room of requirement in search of another Horcrux. Malfoy (Tom Felton), Goyle (Josh Herdman), and Not Crabbe (See kids? Drugs are bad and will get you kicked out of a movie franchise worth billions) interrupt his search and try to burn him alive. Luckily for Harry, whose luck has almost always outweighed his magical skill, Ron and Hermione have figured out where he went, and come to rescue him.

Meanwhile, in a battle scene that is way, way better than that last Lord of the Rings movie battle, Voldemort’s forces are attacking the castle. This scene is why the death of Dumbledore from the sixth book was re-written … and in terms of the series, saving the final violent attack on Hogwarts does make for a greater impact. Those of you who have read the book know that the death tolls increases steadily towards the end of the book, so much so that is hard to register an impact for the in-dividual casualties. But yes, the epilogue is intact, and the end-ing is fantastic.

My friend, Michele Macumber isn’t from Fayetteville. She didn’t attend high school here. She didn’t attend college here. In fact she attended “University” as she calls it, in Canada. She stumbled in to Fayetteville in 2000 by chance, although she’ll tell you it was by luck because she has grown to love Fayetteville as her home. Michele began her teaching career with several other Canadian teachers as a part of the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program that still continues to strongly rep-resent a good deal of our international teachers in the region. She has come and gone, and come and gone, more times than I can name, from our lovely city because she has an adventurous soul. She’s always looking for something exciting and fun but unlike many people who fit that same description, Michele is rock solid. She is no flake. In fact, I feel pretty safe to say, if you know her, you can count on her.

Why She Spells Her name with one “L”

When you began this article, if you’re a good proofreader, you probably assumed we misspelled her name “Michele.” Where is the second “L”, right? I recently asked her (now that we’ve been friends for a few years I felt com-fortable enough) why she spells her name with only one “L”? Her answer: “When I was 13 years old, my ‘Nan’ let it slip that she had liked my name spelled with one “L.” She had mentioned it to my parents when they were contemplating names. In the end, my parents went with the name but with two “L’s.” So...at 13 when I heard this, I thought one “L” seemed cooler, so I changed the spelling of my name.

Michele is full of all kinds of quirky, entertaining stories. She tells of her three years teaching in Paraguay and how she must have gained 25 pounds eating all the Dulce de Leche she could muster. “It’s like eating caramel in Heaven,” she exclaims.

And she’s quick to tell you sweet and touching stories about her “little munch-kins” (how she lovingly refers to the children in her classroom at Gray’s Creek Elementary where she won “Cultural Educator of the Year” in 2010.)

Michele may lack an “L,” but she doesn’t lack in anything else!

Why YOU Should Join FYP

In April of 2009, I received an email from a girl who wanted to get involved with Fayetteville Young Professionals. I was used to receiving these emails, but usually I received them right before a big party because people wanted a discounted member ticket price. So I was surprised to open an e-mail on this particular day because we had no big social event coming up. Instead, the girl said she would love to start vol-unteering in the community and also wanted to meet new friends. She explained that she had lived here on and off for several years and that she had some great friends. But then she followed with, “We’re all just in different places in our lives right now so I figure it’s high time I meet some new friends too.” I responded to the email that FYP was volunteering as a team as part of the Fayetteville Beautiful citywide cleanup that upcoming weekend. She responded, “Count me in.” And that next Saturday morning Michele and I became friends.

Since joining FYP, Michele has been introduced to all kinds of organizations throughout our community and has served on several non-profit committees including the A Garden Party committee with the Boys & Girls Clubs, which raised more than $30,000 for the clubs this past April; As a member of The Junior League of Fayetteville’s Provisional Class; and is cur-rently serving as chair the Child Advocacy Center’s Blue Jean Ball in October 2011.

That’s why you should join Fayetteville Young Professionals!

We will get you involved.

FYP isn’t a group of strangers. I’m not saying you’ll become best friends with 450 people but I am saying that this is an organization that has fun together, learns new business and life strategies together and puts interesting people who are in the “same place” in our lives together.

FYP is what you make of it. If you want a way to get involved in this community and meet some outstanding people your age (between the ages of 21 and 40), then this is the organization for you!

And maybe you’ll even get to befriend Michele Macumber. She’ll be the one welcoming you with open arms! Visit us on face-book to find out more, www.facebook.com/fayyp.

Scholarships are defined as “money that does not have to be repaid — and is sometimes referred to as free money.” Aren’t scholarships wonderful resources for higher education expens-es? Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC), businesses, religious and civic organiza-tions, employers, philanthropic associations and individuals, colleges and universities, community agencies, and foundations offer free money in the forms of scholarships, stipends or grants. Many students and would-be students assume that scholarships are unavailable to them because they don’t have a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). This thought process is not only a fallacy but also deters numerous students from researching and applying for scholarships.

The four-program divisions at FTCC (Business, College Transfer/General Education, Engineering/Public Service/Applied Technology, and Health) offer numerous scholarships in each division. Many scholarships may require no more than maintaining a “C” (2.0) GPA or enrollment into one of the programs. Yet, all educational scholarships, stipends or grants require that the student take the initiative to find scholarships, to complete the application process and to exercise astuteness in meeting scholar-ship deadlines. Imagine the feeling of success (master student equals master employee) when a potential employer is informed that you were successful in financing your education through scholarships, stipends or grants.

The Financial Aid Office, FTCC Foundation, Inc. and the Career Center at FTCC, along with the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC.org), Google searches and sundry Websites (plug-in information that is unique to you, such as gender, ethnic background, academic achievement, demographi-cal information, achievements, major, etc.), are valuable resources to locate scholarships, grants, stipends and mentoring programs that will assist with higher educational goals. The researcher can uncover scholarships for allied health professionals; vocational, career and technical studies; careers in teaching, accounting, business and fashion designing; recent high school graduates; first-generation college students; cre-ative writers; working moms and/or women over 50 years old; moms going back to college; single mothers, and the list goes on with scholarship availabilities!

Many students are not willing to research and expend the time and effort to apply for scholar-ships: “…there are hundreds of millions of dollars in scholarship monies 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 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.

Earning scholarships and other educational awards demonstrates transfer-able skills for which Fortune 500 business enterprises willingly pay megabucks. Students who receive scholarships are the individuals who usually enroll into four-year bachelor degree and graduate-level programs and/or get the megabucks in the world of work.

Photo: Many students are not willing to research and expend the time and effort to apply for scholarships.

Craving Companionship

What does an older adult want most for dinner? The answer might surprise you. According to re-search conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network, an overwhelming majority of seniors (85 percent) say that having someone to share their meals makes those times more satisfying for them.

Those same seniors revealed that the biggest mealtime challenge for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience — including companionship. It’s a message that resonates with both family caregivers and senior care professionals throughout North America.

“Family caregivers and those who work with seniors may agree that older adults often need help planning and preparing nutritious meals,” said Jeff Huber, president and chief operating officer of Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network. “But that’s only part of the story. So many older adults are lacking mealtime companion-ship. They want to relive a time around the dinner table where they can share their lives with the people they love most.”

Bringing mealtimes back to older adults often revives treasured memories, which can contribute to their well-being. That’s the idea behind Home Instead Senior Care network’s Craving Companionship program at www.mealsandcompanionship.com. The program offers tips and practical advice for family caregivers to encourage companionship and easy healthy meals.

Family Support

Craving Companionship is geared to helping families support a nutritiously vulnerable population — older adults who live alone. In the United States, approximately 40 percent of the population age 75 and older — 6.7 million people — live alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sadly, these seniors who are alone say that several factors can get in the way of their mealtime compan-ionship. The most common obstacle that prevents seniors from sharing more meals are family/friends don’t have enough time (28 percent) or they live too far away (20 percent), according to Home Instead Senior Care network research.

The Craving Companionship program is an incen-tive for families to find more time to help their loved ones prepare the foods they’ve always loved and enjoy those dishes with them. “Who likes to eat alone? Nobody,” said Sandy Markwood, chief executive offi-cer of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

“Meals are not just a matter of sustenance, but a social outlet. It’s how we come together as a family or a community. When a senior is isolated, it’s indicative of bigger challenges that person could be facing,” Markwood said.

For more information call 910-484-7200 or search www.ho-meinstead.com/647.

Photo: The biggest mealtime challenge for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience — including companionship.

Loving PC

I have no memory of when or where I first encountered it.

Maybe I found it by chance in our family fridge or maybe my mother or someone else’s smeared it between white squishy bread slices on one of the Sunday evening occasions we called “nicnacs” and everyone else we knew called picnics. These communal meals were attended and consumed by several young families growing up together in what was then a new and growing Haymount neighborhood.

Our nicnacs were held at dusk near Lake Rim under a picnic shed, and the various daddies competed with each other to see who could avoid feeding spare change into the light meters to keep all of us from plunging into pitch black darkness.

All I know for sure is that I have adored pimento cheese since the moment it first crossed my lips.

It was a staple in my family of origin, as the sociologists say, and remains so in my family of now. When there is nothing else with which to create a sandwich, nothing else to put on a cracker, nothing else to eat out of the container, there is always pimento cheese.

It is eaten on sandwiches dressed up with tomatoes and other vegetables, as a grilled cheese treat, on burgers with dill pickles and other condiments and on egg sandwiches. I do buy PC in the grocery store, but the best is always homemade, especially if you make your own mayonnaise — easy using a food processor.

Basic PC is shredded cheddar cheese and pimentos held together with mayonnaise and salt and pepper in whatever proportions one likes, but there are many variations.

The version I took to a Precious Jewel’s birthday party earlier this year included two kinds of cheese, lots of garlic, and dill pickles — I think I see a trend emerging here. There are also unwritten rules of what not to include —anything really crunchy, anything that is not really mayonnaise, and — heaven forbid! — processed cheese or “cheese food.”

Another Precious Jewel attended college in New York City where most students were, well, “not from here.” Occasionally some of Big Apple friends would visit us in Fayetteville, and I delighted in serving them PC, homemade and otherwise. Not a one of them had ever heard of it, much less eaten it and every one of them fell immediately in love. To be fair, they loved other things about the South as well, “bless your heart” being a particular favorite, but PC was defi nitely high on the list. I even gave out recipes.

Apparently, these young people were in the avant garde of an emerging trend, because my old favorite, pimento cheese, is white hot in the food world right now.

My first inkling of this trend was a story on National Public Radio extolling its virtues followed several years later by an issue of Our State magazine featuring a scrumptious-looking grilled PC sandwich on the cover. Various “gourmet” versions are popping up in groceries as well.

A quick Google search shows the food press is now all over PC as a yummy regional dish taking on the luster of sophistication like a hometown girl made good in the big city. And just last month a spate of wide-circulation newspaper pieces, including one reprinted locally, has focused the spotlight on our once humble favorite, including photographs mouth-watering enough to send me running to the fridge for a PC fix.

Imagine my delight when I learned that one of the pimento cheese gurus featured, Emily Wallace, is a good friend of a good friend. My guess is that she is the world’s reigning expert on pimento cheese, having written a 100+ page master’s thesis on that delicious topic at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I emailed Emily pronto, and she was kind enough to share a copy with me, and I look forward to devouring it soon — not literally, of course.

Emily’s academic takes on PC include that it is one of the rare foods which spans the economic spectrum. Since its inception in the late 19th-early 20th centuries, it has managed to show up regularly at both the tea parties of ladies who lunch and in the lunch bags of workers in textile, tobacco and furniture factories.

Southerners who find ourselves living “somewhere else” miss PC and talk about it with each other the way ex-pats around the world talk about their home countries. PC launched and sustained profi table businesses, several commanded by women who created their products in their home kitchens for sale in groceries and from lunch and snack carts in various workplaces.

People are protective of their PC recipes, especially those handed down from Mama and Grandma, and we all like it “our way,” whatever that might be.

Most of Precious Jewel’s Big Apple chums are still way above the Mason-Dixon Line, and it amuses me to think of them now ordering the latest in pimento cheese cuisine from the menus of city restaurants.

Wonder if it is served on flax seed bread with assorted organic greens for a modest $15 plus tax and tip?

Photo: Pimento Cheese, long a Southern favorite is beginning to turn heads in the culinary world. Made from shredded cheese and pimento, it is the ideal snack when nothing else will do.

Orange County Chopper fans, now is your chance to see Paul Teutal, Sr. and his crew work their magic in person. On Friday, Aug. 5, at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, S.C., Teutul and company are planning a bike build-off and concert that is sure to get your motor running.

The show is about more than just performing though, it is about connecting with the audience and drawing them into the experience, too.

“It starts off with our Orange County Chopper (OCC) band. They open up and play some songs and then introduce me and generally I ride out on a P.O.W. bike or one of our theme bikes,” said Teutal. “We bring lots of T-shirts and Frisbees and we sign them and throw them out into the crowd. I try to get the audience to interact with me, and the guys who are involved in the show. “

Then the bike build-off begins. There are two teams; each one builds a bike on stage and whoever finishes their bike first is the winner. Once the bike is completed, the teams have to start it up and burn the tire out on the stage to win. And, it all has to be done in one hour.

While the music is playing and Teutal is entertaining the crowd, feel free to check out the several bikes that will be on display.

“We are bringing a bunch of bikes that we’ve done on the show,” said Teutal. “Then we have a bike that we’ve built — there is a raffle and somebody at the show wins that bike. Sometimes we build a “greenie,” which is an old school bike, and sometimes we build one which is called an “original,” which is more of a chopper. I am not really sure which type of bike we will be building for this event, but either one, they are equally nice.”

A big supporter of the military, Teutal is hoping for a chance to see some service members at the show and is looking forward to entertaining them, too.

“I think that it is well known that we are very involved with the military and I think that for them to be able to come down and have some regular interaction with me and the OCC band would be good — I think that would be exciting for those guys, too.”

Even though the OCC crew is busy doing shows on the road, it has not slowed them down at all in reaching their goals and growing as a company. They just signed on for another season of American Chopper and continue their work as reality performers and cutting edge custom-bike builders.

“I think that we area always into the next level, so innovation is what we strive for,” said Teutal. “Every time we do a bike we try to incorporate innovation and eventually we want to be able to build bikes that represent the times we are living in, you know? Like in the auto industry — if they are building electric cars or cars that run on ethanol or cars that run on batteries, we want to match that technology in what we do.”

It’s quite a difference from where he started. Back in the early ‘70s it was Teutal, his welder and a pick-up truck. Success hasn’t changed him though, in fact, he says he’s grateful for the chance to work hard and get ahead.

“I still feel the same way I did when I was in that welding truck 40 years ago, you know what I am saying?” said Teutal. “Only now I am enjoying the things that I could not enjoy back then.”

The bike build/concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25-$35 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

Photo: Motorcycle enthusiasts need to jump on their bikes and make the short ride down to Florence to check-out the crew of American Chopper in action on Friday, Aug. 5.

Study after study has come to the conclusion that family time is a good thing. Doing things together helps build and strengthen relationships whether it’s your family, friends, neighbors or coworkers.

Other studies have come to the conclusion that physical activity is good not only for your body, but it is emotionally benefi cial, too. These two well-established facts make the Fort Bragg Family Fun 5K a no-brainer when the question arises “What are we going to do this weekend?” The fact that it is free and no registration is required is just a bonus.

On Saturday, July 30 grab the family, a friend, a coworker or your neighbor and come to Hedrick Stadium on Fort Bragg and join the hundreds of other participants in a morning of fun and fi tness. The event is open to military/government ID card holders and family members.

You don’t have to be an athlete to come out and enjoy the race. In fact, you will find people of all fitness levels in attendance. Look for everyone from athletes who are training for other races, to soldiers or retirees walking to recover from surgery, to families with young children in strollers and wagons and everything in between.

The race starts at 8 a.m., although folks generally show up before that to warm up, meet their exercise partners and even socialize a little. Several post organizations come out to show their support as well. MWR brings the intercom system and music, and often, organizations wait at the fi nish line with refreshments and other goodies for the athletes.

“We have several organizations that come out and participate and support the event,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Hardy, event coordinator. “It is a good opportunity to provide people with resources and information about the different programs on post, so they usually have plenty of magnets, flyers and other helpful and informative items available to take home.”

The 3.1 mile route starts and ends at Hedrick stadium and makes a loop along Long Street, Manhay, Sicily, Normandy, Reilly and Sedgewick back into the stadium where there is about three quarters of a lap to get to the fi nish line where participants will fi nd refreshments like water and fruit.

Still relatively new, the monthly Family Fun 5K has grown considerably since its start last fall.

“The first event we had 208 people show and that was in September,” said Steve Johnson of Fort Bragg MWR. “At our most recent event we had 865 participants.”

With support like that, plans are to continue with the monthly race and continue to support healthy living and relationship building.

“It has been very well received,” said Johnson who works at many of the races. “We have received positive feedback, so from an organizational standpoint that is very gratifying for us.”

The July 30, Aug. 27, and Sept. 17 events are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. because of the heat. Beginning in October, the start time is expected to return to 9 a.m.

Johnson also noted that there are a few expected changes for the August event. “We need to give people a heads up, that the Hedrick Stadium parking lot is going to be paved. Work begins in August on that. At this point it is very conceivable that we are going to have to modify the start and end point for the Aug. 5k.”

More information will be released on that once a final determination is made. Look for updates on the Fort Bragg MWR Website. For more information about this event, visit www.fortbraggmwr.com.

Photo: Fort Bragg families gather at the finish line after completing the Fort Bragg Family Fun 5K.

If you’ve been shopping lately, you’ll notice enormous back-to-school displays. Those super sales on school supplies have already begun. It’s hard to believe that summer is already more than half gone.

This year as you stock up on school supplies consider this astonishing statistic. Last year in Cumberland County alone, there were nearly 900 students considered homeless. When families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, making sure that their child has enough pencils and paper to make it through the school day is a minor concern. While some kids are agonizing over wearing just the “right” backpack on the fi rst day of school, some kids are hoping they’ll have one to carry.

Started in 2007 by the Cumberland County school social workers, Stuff the Bus is an annual event to make sure that students living in shelters and transitional housing are prepared for school, easing the burden on parents and teachers. This year’s Stuff the Bus event kicks off Aug. 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Walmart located at 4601 Ramsey St. This is the beginning of the tax-free weekend, so all your donations can be purchased tax free.

Be sure to bring the kids! Not only will they be taking donations, but Buster the Safety School Bus will be on site. They will also have tours of the bus by Miss Fayetteville, Katie Ann Mills, and there will be information available on school-bus safety and student services. This is a great way to introduce the school bus to your child just starting school, and at the same time modeling to all your kids the importance of helping those less fortunate.

Says Pamela Story, coordinator of the event, “We currently partner with Operation Homefront of North Carolina to assist with their Backpack Brigade give-away. Since our first drive where we packed and distributed 80 new book bags fi lled with supplies, last year we stuffed and delivered 426 throughout every Cumberland County School. Our goal this year is 600. We receive a small grant through the Department of Public Instruction to identify homeless students and coordinate services for them, including school supplies, transportation, free breakfast and lunch, clothing and assistance with enrollment issues. By collecting donations, this reduces the amount of items we must purchase for our students currently living in transitional housing, emergency shelters, or in other living situations that are not permanent nighttime residences.”T

eachers and mothers alike will tell you that nothing disappears faster in the school year than pencils and paper. Like the stray sock in the dryer, those items seem to just vanish within a few weeks of school. Story says that the most needed items are backpacks, three ring binders, marble composition books, flash-drives and school uniforms, as well as plenty of paper and pencils. Remember, teachers also ask students to bring in items such as hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to help keep the classroom a safe and sanitary environment.

Not sure what to give? They will also be taking tax-deductible cash donations as well as gift cards.

If you aren’t able to drop by on Aug. 5, donations can be made at the CCS Central Services building at 2465 Gillespie St. from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. all summer long.

Know someone who might be in need? Bookbags with supplies will be made available on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis through each school’s social worker after Aug. 18, so be sure to contact the child’s school for more information about how to have a child identifi ed for consideration.

For more information on how you can help, contact CCS Social Work Services at 910.678.2621.

Female Pulchritude: Too Perfect to be Real

One recent hot-as-the-hinges morning, I was beating it out on an air-conditioned gym’s treadmill and switching among the several TV offerings on my headset. As you might suspect, I am far from an ardent fan of Fox News, but a story Fox aired early that particular morning did catch my attention. It was taking a look at what the “virtually” perfect images, of what my father would have called “feminine pulchritude,” now pervading our popular culture are doing to very real teenaged girls and young women.

Translated, that asks what the ubiquitous Photoshop-perfect images of various celebrities and models are making us think about ourselves.

I have a business acquaintance who proudly displays a lovely and glamorous photograph of his wife in his office. It looks like her, only much better as all bumps, variations in skin tone, wayward hairs and the red in her eyes have been digitally handled, leaving only the good and only a little of the real.

My friend’s wife, though, is — shall we say? — a woman of a certain age, and her photograph, however improved, is not likely to have any effect on teenagers or young women.

That is not the case, of course, in our broader celebrity-obsessed culture in which girls and young women see and compare themselves to images of others which have been airbrushed and highlighted and whose body parts have been made smaller or larger depending on which is culturally more desirable. Slender arms, legs and rumps but big eyes and breasts are the picture of perfect, whether the real person actually possesses those attributes or not.

Maybe a few real women do meet these ideals naturally, but most women do not and never will, even though thousands now try to do so by every means they can think of and afford, including surgery. The thinking seems to be that “if my fi ll-in-the-blank is too big or too little, too lumpy or too white, I will just buy this product or service, eat less and exercise more until I look just like that gorgeous movie star fill-in-the-blank.”

American women, you say, have always loved and emulated celebrities, which seems true enough to me, so what is the big deal? The danger here is not so much our young women feeling good about these other women as feeling bad — really bad — about themselves by comparison. The message many young people get from looking at perfected images is that they are not good enough as they are and that they must do all they can to “correct” themselves. The saddest manifestation of this I ever saw was a girl who graduated from a local high school several years ago. She had been a good student, and as a graduation present her parents gave her breast enhancement surgery.

Would you send your high achieving daughter that message?

I came home from the gym and did a little searching and found a good bit of Internet activity on this topic, including a Photoshop demonstration which took an obese woman in lacy undies down to a slender woman in the same, though much smaller, undies. If I had not seen the video, I would not have known it was the same person.

This is what happens in magazine photographs that look too perfect to be real. They are.

I also learned that I am far from the only person worried about this.The venerable Girl Scouts of the USA, an outfit that has the best interest of young women at heart if ever there were one, partnered with Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis and other notable women including North Carolina’s own Senator Kay Hagan. Earlier this year, they formed Healthy Media: Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls. The idea is to encourage national discussion around this issue, to recommend positive changes to policy makers, and to back media, which are focusing on balanced images of women and girls.

The Fox news personnel discussing this issue that morning as I slogged along on the treadmill included two women and two men. The women wore sleeveless dresses displaying toned arms and hemlines at mid-thigh displaying tanned legs in stiletto heels. Both sat ramrod straight occasionally crossing and uncrossing their lovely legs. The men wore dark business suits and slouched on the set sofa as they discussed women’s body images.

My Internet search revealed that the two women are among a group known as the “Fox babes.” There are entire Websites devoted to them, including one in which the babes on the news set speak mutely while the thumping strains of “New York, New York” pound on and one which conducts a weekly poll on who is the “sexiest Fox News Babe.”

I am not kidding you.

I also think this is exactly the sort of thing Healthy Media is worried about.

Someone will finish in first place at the Run for the Red on Saturday, Aug. 6, but the real winner will be the Highlands Chapter of the American Red Cross. Billed as “the hottest race in the South,” the event, which is in its fi fth year, is one of the relief organization’s biggest fundraisers.

Last year’s event included more than 500 runners and raised slightly more than $10,000, according to Victoria Raleigh, executive director of the chapter. This year the group hopes to see close to 700 participants and raise $15,000.

“All the funding stays here locally,” Raleigh said. “We’re not a government agency, so we rely on the support of the American public to perform our humanitarian mission.”

The race has a new route this year, starting and ending in downtown’s Festival Park, where the group will also hold a Be Red Cross Ready Day.

“It will provide an opportunity to ensure everyone has a fire plan, knows how to make a disaster kit, what to do in case of a power outage and other general preparedness information,” said Raleigh. “We will have coloring books for the kids and our American Red Cross Blood Hound will be there as well as Miss Fayetteville 2011, Katie Mills.”

In light of the recent tornadoes, and with hurricane season underway, Raleigh says no one can be too prepared. There will also be information available for people who want to become Red Cross volunteers.

“(Nationally) we’re a 97 percent volunteer-based organization,” Raleigh said. “Here locally, for every one paid staff we have about 35 volunteers who support our mission.”

If helping out the Red Cross isn’t enough motivation, the race will award cash prizes for the top three male and female runners in 5 and 10 kilometer runs, starting at $100 for third place in the 5K and going up to $250 for first place in the 10K. There is also a one-mile fun run that will loop around the park. All of the fun run participants will get a medal, as well as the top times in 14 age groups of the two races. For those not handy with the metric system, 10 kilometers is 6.2 miles, and the 5 kilometers is 3.1 miles.

The course is USA Track and Field Certifi ed, which means the route has been accurately measured and that runners’ performances can be accepted as a record or be nationally ranked.

Unlike last year, when the event was scheduled on the same day as Airborne Day, Raleigh said she expects to see a lot of military runners.

“We’re so pleased to have them back,” she said. “Some units are choosing to run as a team. We’re doing a competition to see which group and/or unit will have the most participants.”

Groups don’t have to be military, Raleigh said, citing examples of local businesses and school groups who have already registered.

The cost to register for the race is $35 for the 10K, $30 for the 5K, and $5 for the Fun Run. There are discounts for military and groups of 10 or more.

Registration and more information can be found online at http://www.highlandsarc.org. Runners are encouraged to register in advance.

The 10K race will start at 7 a.m., the 5K will start at 7:45 a.m., and the Fun Run begins at 8:30 a.m. On race day, packet pick up will start at 5:30 a.m., or runners can pick up their packets on Friday, Aug. 5 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Highlands Chapter, 807 Carol St. The fi rst 750 race participants will also receive a free t-shirt.

While there are many unanswered questions about the 2012 election cycle — about the economy, the Republican presidential nomination, and the contours of North Carolina’s electoral map, for example — no mystery remains about the state’s gubernatorial election. It will be a rematch between Democrat Beverly Perdue and Republican Pat McCrory.

Their 2008 contest was one of the closest in state history. Perdue, then lieutenant governor, narrowly defeated the outgoing Charlotte mayor, in part because of an Obama surge that benefitted Democratic candidates all the way down the ballot.

Both nominees had won what initially promised to be competitive primaries. Perdue defeated Democratic rising star Richard Moore, the state treasurer and former Hunt administration official. McCrory defeated three other major GOP candidates: state Sen. Fred Smith, conservative activist and attorney Bill Graham, and former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr.

If you’re a fan of party primaries, 2012 will disappoint you. Neither Perdue nor McCrory seems likely to draw a serious challenge. Moore, Smith, Graham, and Orr all appear to be done with runs for elective office, though not necessarily with public affairs. None of the Democratic or Republican leaders in the General Assembly has expressed any interest in the race. No members of the state’s con-gressional delegation or mayors of the state’s largest cities have, either.

In short, no experienced challengers with political heft and fundraising po-tential are on the horizon right now for either of the 2008 nominees. So they are already preparing their general-election campaigns for 2012.

Just because next year’s race for governor will likely be a rematch, however, doesn’t mean it will be simply a replay of their first contest. In fact, the 2012 race will be significantly different.

The main reason is that Perdue is now an incumbent governor, not an aspiring one. Whether she likes it or not, voters will reward Perdue with reelection based not on what she promises to do during a second term but how they feel about what she did during her first one — and whether they think North Carolina is headed in the right direction as a consequence of her tenure. If the electorate is more optimistic then than they are now, she has a shot at four more years.

If the electorate continues to feel as nervous about their econom-ic prospects as they do right now, Perdue will have a hard time winning reelection.

It’s not a political dynamic unique to North Carolina. In 2010, incumbent governors or candidates of the same party of outgoing governors were wiped out across most of the country. Because Democrats held most of the governorships going into the cycle last year, they lost most of the races. But some Republican-held governorships flipped Democratic last year, too.

To say that Perdue’s fate lies with voter perceptions about the future is not to say that Pat McCrory will be a bystander. It will be his task to draw connections between the state’s biggest problems and either inaction or wrongheaded action by Perdue.

McCrory won’t win by running against the errors and misdeeds of prior Democratic governors. And he won’t win through some kind of complex trian-gulation maneuver, or by staying warm and fuzzy. Instead, McCrory will need to articulate a positive agenda of conservative reform and contrast it with the failed policies of a liberal status quo.

For her part, Perdue won’t win by running against Republican legislators, most of whom the voters of the state couldn’t pick out of a lineup. She’ll have to defeat her actual opponent, McCrory, by raising doubts about his agenda while highlighting any signs of economic progress evident by next fall and claiming credit for them.

Here’s what won’t be different next year. Just as in 2008, the Obama cam-paign will be competing aggressively for North Carolina. Democrats, Republicans, and affiliated groups will spend tens of millions of dollars on broadcast ads and organization to get their vote out.

And, once again, history will be made. North Carolina will either reelect its first female governor or elect its first Republican governor of the 21st century.

Horrible Bosses (Rated PG-13)  5 Stars

Well, Four Christmases sort of sucked, but Director Seth Gordon hits one out of the park with Horrible Bosses (100 minutes). And we have to assume it was good directing, because screenwriters Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein are all TV people, and not hilarious TV either … the one guy wrote for Becker and the other guy wrote for $#*! My Dad Says. I mean, Daley is funny as an actor, but he has hardly any comedy writing experience.

Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) works for Dave Harken (Kevin Spacy, channeling Lex Luthor). I would love to say that bosses this horrible don’t exist, but I once worked for someone who made me sit in a chair outside his office for two hours a day in case he suddenly needed something. Speaking of people who need to be killed … he probably doesn’t. But forcing him to spend a little time as a powerless underling would provide him with some much needed perspective. And that brings us to minor issue number one … I don’t think the movie sold the au-dience on the need for the “horrible bosses” to die.

No one will argue that this is anything other than a wish-fulfillment movie, since almost everyone has had a hateful boss that they daydreamed about offing. But at no point in the film do these guys seem believable as killers. And here is where the writing gets little bit forced. Logic is sacrificed to the central plot, as each reasonable alternative to murder is shot down by some bizarre bit of charac-ter background. Such as…

Dale Arbus (Charlie Day! I Love You!) being a registered sex offender. Except not really. He is a registered sex offender only because he used a chil-dren’s playground as a bathroom in the middle of the night. So, even though he is an otherwise stand-up guy engaged to Stacy (Lindsay Sloane) he can’t get another job. Which means he is stuck working for the sexually aggressive Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston, who should do more roles like this).

Which brings us to Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis). He works for the sweet-as-pie Jack Pellitt (Donald Sutherland, who I would find more believable as one of the Horrible Bosses). Too bad his nice boss dies, leaving him with the ex-ecrable Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell). Which brings us to minor issue number two. Bobby is too over-the-top to be a real person. He gets lines that are more broad character strokes than anything a real person would say. And I get that they were trying to make him look stupid in order to emphasize his own lack of self-aware-ness, but it is distracting. Have the character played by a Dennis Franz type, and it all becomes just a little more believable. I guess what I’m saying is that Colin Farrell can look pretty, but he can’t act, and when he tries to take away the pretty it only shows just how bad an actor he is.

After setting up the characters, the three white-collars firm up their plans to kill their horrible bosses. Through movie logic, they end up at a bar in a bad neighborhood where they meet Dean Jones (Jaime Foxx). He becomes their mur-der consultant, and sends them off to do recon on their prey. Hijinks ensue, and it is genuinely impossible to predict where the movie is headed, which saves it from being too conventional and/or mean-spirited (and it was at risk for both).

During their repeated attempts at surveillance, the police get involved. Interestingly, Charlie Day does a pretty good job of channeling Charlie Kelly from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in the interrogation scene, and even though he doesn’t get a writing credit some of his dialogue seems directly in-spired by his best known character.

Finally, for those of you who care, the NavGuide voice should seem very familiar … I thought it was Marshall Manesh from How I Met Your Mother, but it was actually the voice of Brian George who has apparently appeared in hundreds of other things.

On Saturday, July 30, the Wingmen MC of Fayetteville are holding a benefit run to help fight lupus. “All of the proceeds from this ride will benefit local people suffer-ing from lupus,” said Wingmen MC treasur-er and event spokes-person Robert Mas, who not only enjoys help-ing others but joined the Wingmen “for the friendship and camara-derie it offers.”

The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.5 mil-lion Americans, and at least five million people worldwide, have a form of lupus. Although lupus can strike men and women of all ages, 90 percent of indi-viduals diagnosed with the disease are women. Most people will develop lupus between the ages of 15-44. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report in May 2002 which indicated that deaths attributed to lupus increased over a 20-year period, particularly among African American women ages 45-64. However, it is not clear if the rise is the result of an actual increase in lupus mortality or better identifica-tion and reporting of deaths due to complications of the disease.

The ride starts at Cape Fear Harley Davidson. Registration opens at noon, kickstands up at 1 p.m. Like most poker runs, riders get a card at the starting point and pick up a card at each stop along the way. By the end of the ride, each participant will have five cards. The best hand wins a prize.

“We will also have a 50/50 raffle and prizes for best hand and worst hand,” said Mas. “We are expecting a good turn out and hope to have more than 200 people show up and partici-pate. We’d just like to encourage people to please come out and have a good time.”

Photo: On Saturday, July 30, the Wingmen MC of Fayetteville are holding a benefit run to help fight lupus. 

It’s taken a few years, countless man-hours and the dedication of many in our community to turn Fayetteville from Fayettenam into a three-time winner of the All-America Cityaward. Fayetteville’s Downtown has come a long way. In fact, check out just one of the many downtown events like Fayetteville After 5, the Dogwood Festival, 4th Friday, the International Folk Festival or even the random afternoon stroll and it’s clear that downtown is a great place to spend time.

As the synergy grows, new activities and businesses are drawn to downtown every month, which in turn brings more people looking to shop, dine and be entertained. One of the newest members of this dynamic community is the WRAL Downtown Fayetteville Trolley.

In four short months, the trolley has grown from an idea to a team member among the various groups that work together to continually improve and build on the successes that Fayetteville has fought so hard to achieve and maintain. So the concept that started with the question “What can we do to make Fayetteville better?” is now seen at local events, festivals and special occasions like the N.C. Veterans Park opening.

An entity unto itself, the WRAL Downtown Fayetteville Trolley is open to working with any organization that seeks to show off the many attributes that downtown has to offer.

Currently, the trolley roams downtown on various routes, depending on the event (think Fayetteville After 5 and 4th Friday) and street closures. It winds its way up Haymount Hill providing residents an alternative to driving downtown.

Many of the downtown merchant sponsors provide discounts and gifts that are packaged in eco-friendly bags that have become a valuable commodity.

“I think it is a fantastic addition to downtown, especially for our special events,” said Downtown Development Manager Jamie McLaughlin. “It has created such a buzz. People have come downtown just to ride the trolley, and all of a sudden they are introduced to our great downtown shops and restaurants. I think it is a fantastic way to get to know downtown. On one trolley ride, people get a tour of downtown while they are enjoying being downtown.”

The Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum has joined with the WRAL Downtown Fayetteville Trolley to bring historical tours to the public.

“We have developed initially, three tours that we will use the trolley for,” said Historic Properties Manager Bruce Dawes. “One is a general historic tour of downtown Fayetteville, and it will take in a number of historical sites that we will travel by on the trolley. Some of those sites will be a ride-by and some will be an opportunity to get off the trolley and perhaps go inside different historical buildings.”

There is a separate church tour as well. The church tour takes in the six nationally registered historic district churches downtown, and again, some of those will be ride-bys and some at some of the churches, the passengers will go in and take a look around.

The last tour is a military tour which talks about the history of the Fayetteville community as a military community predating Fort Bragg, going back to the time of the Revolution and Liberty Point and taking it up to the present day.

Large groups (20 or more) are also invited to contact the museum and create their owntour.

“If there is a particular group that is interested in a historic era or event, we can do that,” said Dawes. “As a local museum we have a lot of access to information that we can use to create individual tours. The weather now is brutal to be walking around and the trolley would give groups a chance to have access to an air-conditioned vehicle and still be able to see the sights.” 

Trolley Spokesman and Lead Manager Mark Henderson, is excited about the warm reception the trolley has received so far and has big plans for meeting the needs of the community as opportunities arise.

“My hopes are for the trolley to become the singular attraction that encourages many others to help and to think outside of the box in creating activities for downtown,” said Henderson. “We havea unique downtown and weshould use every opportunity to capitalize on that fact. We have already booked our first tour, a combo downtown/historical tour for a family reunion group. We are working with a unit at Fort Bragg to transport them to a social from Fort Bragg to the Botanical Garden. We are well on our way to becoming a downtown staple. We hope to have our Website up very soon that will have predetermined routes and times, becoming a lot morepredictable.”

If you are interested in booking a tour, or to find out more information, give the trolley office a call at (800) 779-8827.

Photo: Currently, the trolley roams downtown on various routes, depending on the event and street closures. 

From hockey games to concerts and shows, the Crown Coliseum always provides premier entertainment to our community, and on July 30, it will deliver yet again. On the July 30, the Crown will offer not one, but two dynamic shows that will get you on your feet and out of your seat as it hosts the All Star Rock Concert at 8 p.m. in the Crown Center Theatre and the Carolina Crown Southern MMAs Biggest Bash at 7 p.m. in the coliseum.

The All Star Rock Concert features 1980s artists including John s (Eddie and the Cruisers), Robbie Dupree, Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie, Joe Lynn Turner of Rainbow, Deep Purple and Orleans.

Collectively, the performers have more than 40 top-selling records and dozens of gold and platinum songs between them and they will bring all of your favorites to the stage. The performers will belt out some of the best music of the ‘80s including: “Dancing in the Moonlight,” “Dance with me,” “Steal Away,” “Keep On Smilin’,” “Still the One,” “Stone Cold,” “On The Dark Side,” Smoke On The Water,” “My Woman From Tokyo” and many more.

“This concert will pack more mojo per square inch of stage floor than almost any band we can think of — and they produce an evening of hit songs that audiences know and love, sung by the people that made them hits,” Crown promotional staff say of the concert.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the Crown Center Box Offi ce, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets and by calling 1-800-745-3000. Ticket prices for the pit range from $35- $46. Ticket prices for the fl oor range from $25- $35.

If the ‘80s isn’t your scene, maybe you will want to take in the bone crushing action as the Carolina Crown Southern MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Biggest Bash gets under way. This annual event is known as the Super Bowl of the MMA.

Banned for 14 years in the state of North Carolina, mixed-martial arts is a full contact sport. As well as allowing a both striking and grappling, the rules of MMA permit a wide variety of fighting techniques, skills and a mixture of combat sports. Originally the competition was promoted as an effort to find the most effi cient martial arts for real unarmed combat, but rules have been added for the safety of the competitors and mainstream acceptance. It may also be commonly referred to as ultimate fi ghting, pride fi ghting, no-holds barred (NHB), free fighting and cage fighting.

CFP President Doug Muhle says “We are excited that MMA fans in Fayettville will have the chance to witness the awesome intensity of a world class MMA event!

”The event will feature 12 MMA cage fights, with three CFP world MMA titles on the line. The evening will feature nine amateur and three professional MMA cage fights.

A portion of the night’s proceeds will be donated to The Wounded Warrior Foundation.

Tickets are on sale now through the Crown Box Office, ticketmaster.com, all Ticket Master outlets, or by phone 1.800.745.3000. for sponsorship VIP tables and tickets sales, CFP rep Joel White can be contacted at 470-6974. Ticket prices for floor seating range from $42-$ 110. The doors open at 5 p.m., with the event starts at 7p.m.

Photo: Two fighters participating in the Carolina Crown trade blows during a previous event. To see all the action, take in the fights at the Crown on July 30.

As temperatures soar, everyone is seeking relief from the heat, so leave it to the the Fayetteville Downtown Alliance to find a way to put our minds on cooler times. On July 22, from 6 to 10 p.m., come celebrate Christmas in July during this month’s 4th Friday festivities.

Don’t wait until Black Friday to start your shopping, you can get a jump on it as many of the downtown merchants will be offering special Christmas discounts. Walter Guy Jewelers will even offer a Christmas layaway plan to help you get a handle your Christmas budget. Several merchants will offer Christmas refreshments, like Holmes Electric, who will share their famous Christmas Open House goodies, while others will give out door prizes.

And what’s Christmas without kids? The Downtown Alliance wanted to make sure they get into the Christmas spirit as well, so be sure to bring the kids. There will be free Christmas craft projects for the young and old. And don’t forget to pop in at the Cotton Exchange for its free train ride around downtown. Try your hand at art at Gregs! The shop will offer paint your own ornaments for just $5, half off the normal price of $10. And don’t forget to stop by the Fascinate-U Children’s Museum. There is even a rumor that the big guy will be checking his summer schedule to see if he can take a break from his busy toy making to join us for 4th Friday.

In keeping with the generosity of the American spirit at the holidays, several exhibits that give us inspiration to reach out to the less fortunate among us will be on display. The Second Harvest Food Bank, established in 1982, will host a raffle. They will have information about their programs, to help raise awareness of hunger in the area. Operation Christmas Child, one of the largest Christmas gift-exchange programs in the world, will be on hand to show how you or your local organization can join this giant yearly Christmas gift distribution project to some of the poorest communities on earth.

With summer in full swing, it is also a time that many families are moving in to our community. This gives us the perfect opportunity to showcase many of the beautiful residences in our fair city.

The Arts Council will open its Parade of Homes exhibit during the July 4th Friday event from 7 to 9 p.m. Each original work of art must contain a house and reflect the spirit of Parade of Homes.

According to Mary Kinney, marketing manager for the Arts Council, “The winner will be announced that evening and awarded $2,000 by the Home Builders Association of Fayetteville. First place art will be used on promotional materials for the 2011 Parade of Homes, to include the cover of 70,000 tour-guide magazines, which will also feature the winning artist’s biography.”

Cash prizes for second and third place will also be awarded.

Come see local artists, musicians and dancers and stroll the historic district in the cool of the evening. Watch a potter creating a bowl or join the drum circle at our iconic Market House. While you’re checking out the local shops, be sure to stop in at Sunflower Fibers and wish them a happy one year anniversary!

Celebrate what makes Fayetteville such a fantastic place to live: small town warmth coupled with big city sophistication.

Photo: This painting won the 2010 Parade of Homes Exhibit at the Arts Council.  

A Fresh Breeze Upon Our Land

Betty Ford was a daughter of the World War I generation who came of age in the World War II era. She married a veteran of the War to End All Wars and raised children in the 1950s and ‘60s, a time when Moms were Moms, Dads were Dads and children had a fabulous time running around with each other in what we thought of as neighborhoods and what is now considered sprawl.

Betty Ford and many other women of that fabled generation lived with courage within the social framework of their times, and they managed to retain their individuality and spirit. They were, in the lingo of their era, “tough cookies.”

When Betty Ford died earlier this month, she had been off the national stage for nearly three decades, a misty historical personage for most Americans under 40. Make no mistake, though. Betty Ford was a real woman who changed the way we see ourselves and our American way of life simply by living hers openly and honestly.

It is painful to remember what a low time 1974 was in our nation. Richard Nixon had just resigned, the only United States President ever to do so. His Watergate scandal toppled him and instilled in the American public a poisonous cynicism about politics and government that damages us to this day. Betty Ford’s husband, Gerald, an affable Republican Congressman from Michigan, had been plucked up to replace Nixon’s also corrupt vice president. Both Gerald and Betty Ford must have been flabbergasted not to mention terrifi ed a short year later when Nixon departed, catapulting a Congressman who had expected to retire — and the wife who desperately wanted him to — into the White House as leader of the free world.

I can remember my own disgust standing alone in the small living room of my Chapel Hill apartment watching our nation’s new President, Gerald Ford, tell us that “our long national nightmare was over” and then pardoning Nixon. Millions of Americans, including this one, were outraged, but over time I have come to understand the deep wisdom of his action. Our nation did not need and would have been further sundered by a long and ugly criminal trial.

Meanwhile, Betty Ford was busy being — well — Betty Ford. With her undefi ned but very real duties as First Lady and four children who thought they were going home to Michigan now living in the White House, life was full. She sometimes referred to herself as the “First Momma,” which many Americans took to include not only her own children but them as well.

She was a warm and relaxed First Lady, a welcome reversal of the Nixon’s cool formality. White House parties were said to be fun again, and Betty Ford was anything but partisan, endearing herself to Americans of all political persuasions. She was open and outspoken on topics most Americans kept close to the vest in the 1970s. Shortly after moving into the White House, Betty Ford informed Americans that, yes, she and the President would indeed be sharing a bed there. What’s more she would not be surprised if her young adult children experimented with marijuana, and she was certainly willing to discuss the topic of pre-marital sex with them and about them.

In a most un-Republican departure from the standard party line, Betty Ford was an avowed feminist all her life. She was a prominent supporter of the doomed Equal Rights Amendment and wore buttons to prove it. On the always controversial issue of abortion, she was pro-choice, saying babies are “a blessing, not a duty.”

Her most lasting contributions, though, stem from her own health battles.

Two months after becoming First Lady, Betty Ford underwent a radical mastectomy and talked openly about it at a time when the “C” word still seemed taboo. We all know women and families who lives have benefi ted by her candor about her own breast cancer.

Then came her public bout with alcohol and prescription drugs. After family and friends confronted her in what we now call an intervention, she was reluctantly treated. When that was all over, she and a friend went on to found the Betty Ford Center for the Treatment of Addictions. Thousands of people have sought help there including celebrities and ordinary folk.

Rock star Stevie Nicks says simply that she would “be dead” without Betty Ford, and it is impossible to imagine addiction treatment in our country today without her honesty about her own problem.

She topped off her “new life” with a new face — she got a face lift to celebrate and told us all about it, bringing openness to yet another aspect of American life.

Betty Ford could not boast a resume of professional accomplishments, but we are a more open nation because of her time on the national stage, something she called “an accident of history.”

Her beloved husband of 58 years, Jerry, said it this way. “When the final tally is taken, her contribution to our country will be bigger than mine.”

Photo: Betty Ford in her official White House Portrait. Ford brought an openess and spirit of fun to the White House and taught America about honesty.

A recent survey by Japan’s Osaka University Graduate school of Medicine found that people who participated in hour-long, twice-a-month laughter or music sessions lowered their systolic blood pressure (the top number) by an average of five or six points over three months.

According to www.help-guide.org, laughter is good for your health and offers the fol-lowing benefits:

Physical Health Benefits:                                                                                                                             • Boosts immunity                                                                                                                                             • Lowers stress hormones                                                                                                                                • Decreases pain                                                                                                                                              • Relaxes your muscles                                                                                                                                   • Prevents heart disease

Mental Health Benefits:                                                                                                                                 • Adds joy and zest to life                                                                                                                                • Eases anxiety and fear                                                                                                                                 • Relieves stress                                                                                                                                              • Improves mood                                                                                                                                              • Enhances resilience

Social Benefits:                                                                                                                                             • Strengthens relationships                                                                                                                             • Attracts others to us                                                                                                                                      • Enhances teamwork                                                                                                                                      • Helps defuse conflict                                                                                                                                     • Promotes group bonding

Since many people live alone or in situations where laughter is not a regu-ar activity, in order to gain the benefits cited, you might need to create the op-portunity to laugh.                                                                • Watch a funny movie or TV show.                                                                                                                • Go to a comedy club.                                                                                                                                     • Read the funny pages.                                                                                                                                   • Seek out companionship with funny people.                                                                                                 • Share a good joke or a funny story.                                                                                                              • Check out your bookstore’s humor section.                                                                                                  • Host game night with friends.                                                                                                                       • Play with a pet.                                                                                                                                             • Got to a ‘Laughter Yoga” class.                                                                                                                      • Goof around with children.                                                                                                                            • Do something silly.                                                                                                                                        • Make time for fun activities ( e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke).

You might also take yourself less seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself. Share your embarrassing moments. You might also laugh at times when normally you might respond in a different manner. Put a toy or funny plaque on your table to remind you to laugh. Watch how children deal with situations and emulate them.

Spending time with a friend can brighten the day of any individual, especially a senior. Since many seniors live alone or may have lost contact with their friends, they might be limited on who is available for fun-filled activities. In that case, hiring a caregiver can fill that void.

As laughter, humor and play become an integrated part of your life, your creativity will flourish and new discoveries for playing with friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and loved ones will occur to you daily. Humor takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, creative, joyful and balanced perspective.

Photo: As laughter, humor, and play become an integrated part of your life, your creativity will flourish and new dis-coveries for playing with friends, coworkers, acquain-tances, and loved ones will occur to you daily.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) You don’t like to be told precisely what to do. You need the free-dom to make your own decisions. Then again, having too many choices is almost worse than having none. This week offers you just the right amount of structure.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You give your all to the projects and people around you. So choose your work carefully. You’re so deeply committed and motivated, and it would be a shame to waste this energy on anything other than what you really, really want. Think long and hard about what is going to make you happy, and write it down.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) There’s an atmosphere around you. Sometimes it’s an at-mosphere of playfulness, silliness and whimsy. Other times, your personal environment is seri-ous, thoughtful and regimented. You are very much in control of the mood this week.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Sometimes you wonder if your accomplishments will ever be enough to make you feel that you have indeed “arrived.” Give yourself overdue credit, and you just may realize that you “arrived” long ago and have been here all along, deserving of respect, love and acceptance.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You could spend a lifetime searching for your purpose and never completely defi ne it. You are too multifaceted to pin down in a single statement. So don’t worry about trying to fi t in or do what you should.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You have a system of reward and punishment, but you don’t consciously realize what it is. Think about the things you do to make yourself feel bad or good. You will determine the fairness and effec-tiveness of these methods and work toward a better system.LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) A loved one may secretly fear that she has little to give compared to another person in your life. You realize that all humans are vulnerable to feelings of inad-equacy. Your compassion and understanding will heal the situation or at least calm it for the time being.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) You may not realize how low your level of inspiration is until you fi nd yourself wandering through the aisles of a store or library, looking for nothing in particular. An aimless search will bring you to your next awesome source of inspiration.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 22-Dec. 21) A father fi gure will play a role in the way karma unfolds. If you play your cards right, you’ll gain a position of power. It is crucial that you show humility, understand your place and pay respect where it is due. You will be promoted and praised because you are emotionally generous.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You won’t give up on what you want, but you also see that pushing your agenda, for the time being, isn’t working. So you’ll set it aside for a while, will-ing to see if there isn’t something better that is supposed to happen.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You’ll carefully plan out events, though you’re also fl exible enough to abandon what’s not working. There’s no shame in turning to plan B, C or D. Your balanced mix of attentiveness and free-spirited attitude is a recipe for success.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You have certain habits that are so much a part of your everyday life that you don’t even think of them as behav-iors anymore. Rather, they are just what you do when you are “doing you.” But you’re changing this week, and you could decide that a certain habit is unnecess

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you have a mishap when you are far away from home? I have. After crashing last year in Arkansas, it really had me thinking about the “what ifs” of motorcycle riding.

This is the time of year when many of us are making plans to travel. July is the BMW International Rally in Pennsylvania and the Wing Ding Goldwing Rally in Knoxville, Tenn. In August there is the 71st Sturgis Rally in South Dakota. There are hundreds of other events and destinations that will take us and our bikes far from our homes.

This year, I have plans to ride off-road through Colorado and Utah. Since my crash, I’ve added a few more survival tools for my riding peace of mind.

First, you need to be prepared. It is never a good time to learn to swim while in the middle of a flood. Neither is trying to develop a plan in case you crash.

The first responder(s) should you crash, will probably be your riding buddy or buddies. My riding friends have exchanged healthcare information, phone numbers for each other’s loved ones and we tell each other where important medications will be in the event one of us needs something. This includes medications and allergic reactions medications. Also, you should know your friends blood type and any other pertinent information.

A first-aid kit has been added to my emergency supplies, which contain materi-als for hard wrecks. Let’s face it. Most first-aid kits will do nothing for a real motor-cycle crash, so we have created our own first-aid kit which will have provisions for broken limbs, ribs and/or deep cuts.

It is very possible that we will have to make it to some kind of road intersec-tion, so a GPS is a must. Knowing your location will save you time of telling first responders where to meet you if needed. If you do wreck, you will need to mark the location of your friend on your GPS. Don’t forget to do this because if you leave your friend you may not remember how to find him or her when you return.

You cannot always count on cell phone protection and during a crash, and that time may be the difference between life and death. I’ve added a SPOT Personal Tracker to my bike (www.findmespot.com) that will provide a variety of information and rescue help. With the press of a button your SPOT will transmit your location via satellite and the folks at SPOT will dispatch rescue services to your location and notify the people that you have designated on your SPOT alert list.

The SPOT will get you to a hospital but then what? What if you are too hurt to travel back home or in an unsatisfactory hospital and need transporta-tion? What if your bike is unable to be ridden? Now there is a new service called MedjetAssist. MedjetAssist offers an assistance program specifically tailored for the motorcycle rider. This unique program was developed with the help and input of motorcycle enthusiasts.

MedjetAssist is an annual membership program (not insurance) which provides the arrangement of worldwide air medical evacuation and consultation services to its enrolled members when they become hospitalized while traveling more than 150 miles from their primary residence. The evacuation benefit is good whether travel-ing in the next county, state or outside the country. The Motorcycle Protection plan can be added to any annual membership for an additional fee ($25 per year).

MedjetAssist also provides medical ICU air transport and evacuation to a hospital of your choice. They provide up to $3,500.00 for the return of your motorcycle to a shop or dealership of your choice. They will arrange to have your bike returned to you if you are physically unable to ride because of a crash.

Medjetassist is cheaper than what you would expect to pay to get your bike to a dealership (depending on where you are) so it is worth checking out. There are a host of other benefits and plans by this company. For more information and terms check out www.medjetassist.com.

With a little preparation and planning you can do a lot to help ensure you are not left high and dry.Ride Safe!

Photo: MedjetAssist is an annual membership program (not insurance) which provides the arrangement of worldwide air medical evacuation and consultation services to its enrolled members when they become hospitalized while traveling. 

LARRY CROWNE(Rated PG-13) 2 Stars

Watching Larry Crowne (99 min-utes) is like sinking back into a nice posturepedic bed with a tequila and prune juice smoothie in one hand and a copy of The Bridges of Madison County in the other. See what I did there? I compared watching the movie to being old! In the interest of fairness, (or to avoid ageism) I know plenty of the over-65 set who jump out of planes and like to ride motorcycles. But that’s not the kind of person who is going to see Larry Crowne. They’re all over in the theater next door, watching Transformers 3, with the rest of the free world. But not me, since I’d sooner bite my own arm for blood than vali-date Michael Bay’s “vision.” So really, watching Larry Crowne was an act of defiance, flung in the face of people that insist Michael Bay is an actual director instead of what he really is — a carica-ture of a human being.

I was all set to watch a sort of modern Death of a Salesman, or possibly an existentialist commentary on the plight of the modern American working man. Nope. Nothing happens in this movie. NOTHING. Just Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts phoning it in while a cast of supporting characters tries desperately to be real people instead of poorly drawn robots. Well, Sulu is pretty cool, if you’re looking for a professorial role model. His evil laugh was the highlight of the movie, all the more so because his class has no idea how to respond, which is what usually happens when I try to crack jokes in my classes. Although he is much nicer about the cell phone issue than I am. He just takes the phones. You don’t want to know what I do with them.

Seriously though, this movie is blander than a bulk container of generic oatmeal. We open with what I am pretty sure is The Traveling Wilbury’s, in case you had any doubt about who this movie is for. Larry Crowne (Hanks channeling Forrest Gump more than he probably realizes, what with clarifying “Crowne with an E” every time he meets someone) is a charming enough guy, expending an awful lot of energy for his corporate masters, but seemingly happy with his place in the scheme of things. That all changes when his big-box store downsizes him out of his job, in an overdone scene done much better in other movies and televi-sion shows (even a partial list would take up the rest of the review space so do your own research on this one).

After a few scenes with his neighbor (Cedric the Entertainer, who is not, ahem, entertaining me at the moment), Larry decides to go back to school. Finding financial aid, enrolling and picking his class schedule takes him all of an afternoon, so this movie immediately loses a star for crossing over into the science-fiction genre. He ends up in a class taught by Mercedes Tainot (Roberts), who apparently lives in some wonderful alternate universe where professors can cancel classes that are too small without consulting administration, and with no apparent financial repercussions. Too bad Crowne shows up just in time which forces Tainot to hold class. She gives a horrendous first day speech (Wow. I hope I don’t come off that preachy in my first day lectures.), and Crowne heads to his next class.

The rest of the movie goes down pretty much how you expect it to from the trailers. Wilmer Valderama shows up looking better than he usually does, and Pam Grier shows up looking much worse than she usually does. In the name of humanity, why have we decided to let Nia Vardalos continue to write movies? Overall, it was tremendously depressing to watch actors making such terrible, terrible choices. But maybe you’re into that sort of thing.

For many students, the college enrollment process is a complex ex-perience. Counselors at Fayetteville Technical Community College realize that the maze of procedures, deadlines and paperwork can be frustrating for freshmen students. Even students who have attended FTCC previously find the changes in the process somewhat con-fusing. As a response to this dilemma, FayTech NOW, the New/Returning Student Orientation Workshop, was created. It is currently being implement-ed as a way for Counseling Services to more effectively assist the large number of new and returning students who de-sire approval into one of the more than 150 curriculum programs available. This group session also reduces the wait time that can be a result of seeing many stu-dents in individual counseling sessions.

Students have two options. They can attend the session face to face or online. The same material is covered in both. The face-to-face group session is facilitated by counselors who are knowledgeable regarding the enrollment process. Counselors explain to the group the different important links on the website and assist them in choosing a program. Students may ask questions and get assistance with understanding the requirements. The FayTech NOW group sessions are held in the Tony Rand Student Center, and students who need to attend should sign in at the Counseling Services desk.

The online option is available through the FTCC Website. This is done indi-vidually. At the end of the online workshop, students must successfully complete and electronically submit a short assessment. Their program approval paperwork is sent to them via e-mail in three business days. The FayTech NOW online workshop can be found on the Counseling Services webpage (www.faytechcc.edu/counseling/default.asp) by clicking on “New Student Orientation.”

The approval designates the curriculum program that the student will gradu-ate from and the classes they will need to complete and places them at the appropriate academic level based on either placement assessment or transfer credit in reading, English, and mathematics. Students are also assigned an academic advisor, generally in their program area, to assist them in achieving educational goals.

One of the most challenging aspects of going to school for those who are new or challenged with the computer is that FTCC is “going green” to recycle and reduce the use of paper products. Therefore, all information that formerly was sent through snail mail can be accessed via the internet. The key to being successful is to learn to make good use of the website (faytechcc.edu) and all of the free educational resources available to students at FTCC.

FayTech NOW is not appropriate for every student. Some will still need to be seen individually by a counselor. Students who have a concern or a question are always welcome to visit Counseling Services for assistance. Students who have attended FayTech NOW have responded favorably to learning useful solu-tions to eliminate enrollment problems. This cuts down on travel, expense, and time spent visiting the various offices to seek assistance. Students find the tips for success useful and eagerly ask questions and get answers. Counselors find the group format ideal because they are able to impart valuable information to more than one student at a time, cutting down on individual sessions and freeing up time to spend on other tasks. Students are encouraged to take advantage of yet another great benefit of attending FTCC.

For questions or more information contact, colee@faytechcc.edu, 678-8365 or nancec@faytechcc.edu, 678-8411.

Photo: Counselors at Fayetteville Technical Community College realize that the maze of procedures, deadlines and paperwork can be frustrating for freshmen students.

When you think American wines, most people think Napa Valley, but North Carolina vineyards are putting their mark on the American wine scene. And that’s only fitting, as our state is the home of our nation’s first cultivated grape: the scuppernong.

A cousin to the muscadine, the scuppernong was fi rst sighted by French explorer Giovanni de Verrazano in 1524. Sixty years later, Sir Walter Raleigh’s explorers wrote, “The coast of North Carolina was so full of grapes that the very beating and surge of the sea overfl owed with them.

”It was on this voyage that Raleigh discovered the famed “mother vine” of the scuppernongs on Roanoke Island. Cuttings from the “mother vine” were transplanted along the coast and as far west as Fayetteville, and from their bounty a rich wine history was born in the Old North State.

From 1835 until the Civil War, more than 25 wineries were operating in North Carolina. The war disrupted the industry briefl y, but by the turn of the century, many vineyards were thriving and wine was a rich commodity for the state. The industry has had its ups and downs over the past 100 years, but today it is thriving with more than 100 wineries operating throughout the state

.Today, you can travel from the coast, through the Piedmont and up into the mountains and fi nd a taste of Carolina throughout your travels. Here is a sample of what you will fi nd on your journey:

Coastal Wineries

Silver Coast Winery, located just 15 minutes inland from Ocean Isle Beach, produces 10,000 cases of wine annually. Visitors may take 20-minute tours of the facility, which will take them from the grapevines to the wine cellars. The winery offers tastings in its elegant tasting room where the friendly staff will help you select wines, and a small shop provides a collection of enticing gifts. In addition, visitors can view and purchase original art work from various local artists.

The Silver Coast Winery is 9-years-old this month. Winemaker, Dana Keeler, who came from the Finger Lakes region of New York, is celebrating six years at the winery. The winery is the 22nd opened in the state and the first in Brunswick County. The Silver Coast Winery specializes in the native muscadine grape but also imports many grapes from the Blue Ridge Mountain area.

Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday until 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Combine a day at the beach with a wine tour and an art exhibition. For further information and directions, go to www.silvercoastwinery.com/winery.html.

Founded in 1976, Duplin Winery, located in Rose Hill, invites visitors to stroll through its Winemaking Museum to learn the history of the south’s oldest and largest winery. The winery produces more than 1,000,000 gallons of wine, selecting grapes from more than 1,400 acres across four states. Although the muscadine is a winery favorite, Duplin Winery offers 12 traditional wines as well as blends and champagne.

For three generations, the Duplin Winery has remained family-owned and operated. The Duplin family decided in the early ‘70s to create a market for their grapes and started making wine. In-laws, grandchildren, aunts and uncles all pitched in stomping grapes and bottling wine. The rest is history. The family is devoted not just to its own winery, but to wine in general, and the industry itself and has grown in sales by more than 10 percent each year.

Free tours are available Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and free tastings are offered Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The winery is closed on Sundays.

For more information, visit the website at www.duplinwinery.com.

Just 25 miles from downtown Wilmington, the Bannerman Vineyard has been cultivating grapes since 1973. A family-owned business in the heart of Pender County, the vineyard spans 20 acres.

Featuring the “muscadine” grape, similar to a Concord grape, wine made from this fruit has unique nutritional characteristics. Due to its ingredient, “resvertrol,” consumers have the benefi t of a healthy anti-oxidant which can lower cholesterol. Just think: drink wine and get healthy. The ingredient can be found in both the red and white muscadine wines.

The Bannerman family works long days at the vineyard during the “off season” (November to July). Hours for tasting then are Wednesday through Saturday from 12-4 p.m. or by appointment by calling 910-259-5474. During the season (August through November), the vineyard is open from Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and on Sundays 12 - 6 p.m.

Piedmont Wineries

When you’ve finished your visit to the coastal wineries, head to the central part of the state where a vast array of wineries await you.A short jaunt down Highway 87, Lu-Mil Vineyards can be found just north of Elizabethtown in the small community of Dublin. The vineyard sits on the family farm of the late Lucille and Miller Taylor. Leaders in the agricultural industry, the family started the vineyard as a means of testing new machinery for the wine industry. Those tests spawned a successful vineyard, whose fi rst harvest occurred in 2005. That was the same year the vineyard’s gift shop and tasting room were offi cially opened to the public.

Taylor Divine is a 100 percent semi-sweet mid-harvest white wine made with a blend of scuppernong and Carolos grapes. Bladen Blush is a late harvest blend of muscadine grapes that produce a full, sweet taste and mild, pleasant fi nish. Cape Owen Red is made of native muscadines. It is the sweetest of the sweet wines. Old Cumberland, which is a soft, dry white wine made from the early harvest of muscadines, was named in honor of Cumberland County. Harmony Hall is made from the magnolia grape and is cold fermented for a smooth, sweet and fruity white wine. The vineyard is open daily for free wine tasting, but you can also spend the night in one of the Vineyard Cabins.

For more information, visit the website at www.lumilvineyard.com.

As you travel east, you will encounter a number of other wineries that make up the Uwharrie Mountains Wine Trail. Located in the heart of the Piedmont, the Uwharrie Mountains Wine Trail will take you to a number of wineries all within a very short drive of each other.

Stony Mountain Vineyards has a simple mission: Make great tasting wines and create wonderful experiences and memories for its customers.

The vineyard is owned by the Furr family. Ken Furr is a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who retired with the rank of colonel. He is the winemaker and the general manager. His wife, Marie, is retired from civil service, and manages the tasting room and events. Their son, Devron, is a teacher, a member of the National Guard and the assistant winemaker.

Unlike many North Carolina vineyards, Stony Mountain offers a variety of traditional varietals including: Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Syrah Sangiovese. They also offer four fruit wines: Very “Beary” Red, which is made from blackberries and a dry red wine; Blackberry, which is a semi-sweet red berry wine; Strawberry and Peach. They also offer a White and Red table wine made out of muscadine

.Winery tours and tastings are available by appointment. For more information, visit www.stonymountainvineyards.com.

Uwharrie Vineyards is operated by Chad Andrews. A gregarious host, Andrews is knowledgeable about all aspects of wine making and is quick to answer questions or explain the process to you.

Located just 25 minutes east of Charlotte, the vineyard is comprised of 50 acres of grape vines, and houses a 14,000 square foot facility that include a visitor’scenter, a formal banquet hall, a large tasting bar and a unique gift shop.

Andrews embraces the motto of the vineyard: He enjoys life to the fullest, takes many things casually, with the exception of his wine. When it comes to his wine, he is a perfectionist, carefully testing and balancing each and every vat of wine. Also something of a health nut, Andrews does not add any preservatives to his wine. “If you can’t pronounce it, it shouldn’t be in the wine,” he said.

The vineyard offers four different varieties of wines: white wines, red wines, blush wines and port Style.

The Carlos is a full-bodied dry white wine. The Magnolia is a favorite of many visitors. It has the sweet taste that many in the South prefer in their wines. It has a rich fruit taste with a apple and pear finish. A recent offering is a Muscat, which has a slightly sweet, aromatic and sensual taste. It expresses cantaloupe and honeydew flavors over a citrus core structure.

The Noble and Noble Evening Pleasure are signature red wines. The Noble is full bodied with a berry and spice overtone. It is cold fermented, and ends dry. The Noble Evening Pleasure is soft and sweet with wild berry overtones.

Two of the most popular wines are the port-style wines: the Red Velvet and the Frost Velvet. The Red Velvet is a blend of the vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and the Noble. It has a sweet beginning and a dry finish, which by in large comes with its alcohol content of 15.4 percent. This wine has been featured on Good Morning America, MTV and was selected as the ceremonial wine of the U.S. Army Special Forces and the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

The winery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. While the winery is fl exible on tours, as a rule, tours start every hour on Saturday and Sunday, with tours on a request basis during the week. For more information, visit www.uwharrievineyards.com.

Mountain Vineyards

Once you leave the Piedmont, you can head to the mountains where a number of vineyards wait to entertain you.

A little more than a decade ago the 167-year-old Shore farm in Boonville grew tobacco as it had for many years. Realizing that he had to diversify or face being the last of six generations to farm the land, Neil Shore, chose a different crop. He enrolled in Surry Community College’s viticulture program in the 1990s. A farmer since he was 16-years-old, Shore planted 15 acres in grapes in 2001, andnamed the winery Sanders Ridge after one of his ancestors. “He learned that there’s not a lot of difference between growing grapes and tobacco,” his wife Cindy said. “His inspiration was to pass something along to his kids and still keep the farm viable.”

Cindy manages the tasting room and works at the family’s certifi ed organic vegetable farm. Neil’s daughter Jennifer helps a few days each week.

Nine grapes are planted including Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Cindy believes they’re the only North Carolina winery to plant Muscat Canelli, a cousin of Riesling. Their French-American hybrid Chambourcin is bottled as Sweet Kate, a floral delight named for another ancestor. Sanders Ridge is open daily (except Christmas, New Years and Easter) noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.sandersridge.com.

Raffaldini Winery owners trace their roots to 14th century Mantua in the Lombardy region of Italy where their ancestors were farmers with a long history of growing their own grapes and making their own wine. They purchased the Yadkin Valley winery property in 2001 after surveying more than 60 sites. “This location is exceptional because it has some of the same characteristics and features as in central and southern Italy,” said Thomas Salley, marketing director for Raffaldini.

The family planted more than 30 different grapes on 43 acres before settling on those that have proven to be successful. “We focus on Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, six varieties of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Orange Moscato. This year we planted some Nero d’Avola,” Salley said. They also grow Malbec and occasionally buy Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from other local growers. The first vintage was bottled on site in 2003 and an early tasting room opened in 2004. During 2007, the family constructed a villa reminiscent of Italian family homes with an events room upstairs and a tasting room downstairs. Their members gather at the villa for private tastings and club events including the annual Italian Festival in September.

Raffaldini is open Mondays from 11a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday 11a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.  Tours are Wednesday to Sunday 1-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.raffaldini.com.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Emmy-award winning hit reality show on ABC, is coming to Fayetteville, N.C. to surprise one very deserving family and they have chosen Blue Ridge Log Cabins to lead the charge in building a new home. The identity of the family receiving a complete home rebuild from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be revealed on Thursday, July 14 during Extreme’s, “Good Morning!” wake up call.

The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is proud to be one of the hosts of a very special project to benefit the deserving recipients. Blue Ridge Log Cabins, R. A. Jeffrey’s — a Bud Light distributor and the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, together will produce Heroes, Hearts and Hardhats Music Festival on Sunday July, 17th in Festival Park. All of the proceeds from this all day event will be donated to the family build fund.

The festival includes food vendors, face painting stations, inflatable waterslides, cold Bud Light — and of course free entertainment! Donations will be accepted throughout the day, and proceeds from the food vendors, waterslides, soda, water and beer sales will be presented to the family.

The USO of North Carolina will also be on hand with their bus and N.C. Mobile unit collecting non perishable food and travel-sized personal hygiene items.

The day’s activities begin at noon and run through 9 p.m. Entertainment will include a lineup of performers like Da Throw Back Band, a festive 70’s style show band, Jamie Tate, a North Carolina native with fun tunes like “I’m One Beer Away From Loving You”, and of course a few other surprises. The event headliner will be country artist Josh Thompson.

Josh Thompson is a songwriter and performer from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Thompson’s blue collar lifestyle can be found in many of the songs he has written, which includes the title track of Jason Michael Carroll’s current album Growing Up is Getting Old. Following his Top 20 Debut “Beer On The Table” his second single and album’s title track “Way Out Here” is already in the Top 40.

We invite you to join us at the Heroes, Hearts and Hardhats Music Festival presented by Bud Light to make a difference in the lives of the deserving recipients.

For more information about the festival, please contact Carrie King with the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival at 910- 323-1934 or cking@faydogwoodfestival.comFor more information regarding sponsorship opportunities and construction needs, please contact Blue Ridge Log Cabins athttp://www.joinextreme.com/northcarolinadonate/constructionmaterials.

To make a direct donation to the family build fund please visit http://www.joinextreme.com/northcarolina/builderfamilyfund.

Or if you have a product or service that you would like to donate please email Blue Ridge Homes at extreme@blueridgelogcabins.com and tell us about it.

Photo: The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is proud to be one of the hosts of a very special event in support of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and their project, which will benefi t a local family.