Following months of speculation and conjecture, the Fayetteville Museum of Art Assessment Report has been released to the community. The report, paid for by the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County, and prepared by Diane Frankel of The Museum Group, based in San Francisco, Calif., is designed to create a way ahead for the reopening of the now defunct museum; however, current museum board members say that until the old museum is sold, nothing can be done.

The Arts Council sanctioned the report last year, following news of the museum’s closing. Frankel has 25 years of experience in the non-profi t arena, serving as the director of graduate programs in museum studies at John F. Kennedy University and the founding director of the Bay Area Discovery Museum. As a presidential appointee of President Bill Clinton, she headed the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C. This agency provides funds for museum and libraries across the United States and is the largest Federal cultural agency. Frankel works with museums as they transition from one director to another, and on their strategic planning processes and fundraising programs.

Frankel’s task was to “assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Fayetteville Museum of Art” and to determine the support in the community for the museum.

During her assessment, Frankel spoke with 30 people in the community, the majority of whom had some tie or relationship to the museum in the past, including members of the FMoA Board of Trustees, the FMoA Advisory Group, the FMoA Executive Committee, the Arts Council Executive Committee and staff, as well as local politicos including Mayor Tony Chavonne, Councilman Bobby Hurst, N.C. Senator Wesley Meredith, John Meroski of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Eva Hansen of the Partnership for Children, former County Commissioner Breeden Blackwell and Jeff Pettus of the N.C. Arts Council.

During her discussions, Frankel said she found that the museum was “greatly valued by the community” and that those interviewed expressed the “need for a high-quality art museum.”

What they also expressed is a sense that the museum staff and board had strayed from its vision and had “lost focus” when they set their sites on expansion and the requisite capital campaign needed for the expansion.

“Most planning for the new building started long before I got there (on the board),” said Mac Healy, the current director of the board. “We were spending an inordinate amount of time trying to keep that boat afl oat, so the mission possibly took a backseat. But we continued doing our mission. Classes were going on, kids were coming and they were in the building. I would agree that there was a fair amount of attention to the new building. We believed new membership would go up, attendance would go up once we moved into the new facility, so saying we lost focus on our mission was not an inaccurate statement.”

In the report, Frankel noted that while community leaders are “eager” for the organization to rise from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix, they want “clarity in its mission and vision,” “evidence of a committed leadership” and for the museum to be responsive to the community’s interest.

In order to achieve those desires, Frankel wrote that the museum must follow the best practices of successful museums, including a clear vision and mission, a strong leader, a dedicated board, a well-thought through business plan, compelling exhibitions and educational program and a well-focused strategic plan.

None of those things can occur until the current board retires the outstanding debt of $580,000. The board hopes to satisfy that debt through the sale of the Stamper Road facility, but until that time, movement forward is impossible, according to Healy.

“My board’s main goal is to have the debt retired before a new board takes over,” said Healy. Healy explained that there is a committee of three people set up to recruit an interim board. Mary Holmes, of the Cumberland Community Foundation is the chairman of the committee. She is joined by Doug Peters of the Fayetteville- Cumberland Chamber of Commerce and Karl Legatski.

Healy explained that the committee would seek out those in the community willing to sit on the new board.

“They will look for a new permanent board, but the reality is that nothing will probably happen until we pay the debt off. Not many people will be willing to take on that debt,” he said. “Our hope is that the building will sale, and we can hand over a clean slate to the new board.”

At the current time, Healy said there is no intent to sell the museum’s collection, valued at roughly $900,000, to pay off the debt.

“The community and the new board will need to decide whether we are going to be a collecting museum or an exhibiting museum,” he explained. “There really is no formal way to dispose of the collection, but if the board decided to do that, they need the funds from the sale of the collection for operations, not to pay debt.”

In the report, Frankel suggested the existing board step down — a conclusion that board had alreadydecided on.

“We realize that irreparable harm has been done to the reputation of this board,” he said. “We aren’t the people to go out and try to rebuild relationships in the community. The new board’s life will be a lot easier if they are debt free. They can show up and make decisions once the city decides whether it wants and will support a museum.”

One of the key relationships that must be rebuilt is that between the museum and the Arts Council of Fayetteville- Cumberland County. Many museum supporters have, in the past, faulted the Arts Council for the museum’s ultimate demise for pulling its fi nancial support to the museum’s operating budget.

Healy said that the board wants to put those arguments behind it, and hopes that the new board will be able to rebuild the relationship and regain financing for the facility’s operations.

“Without that money, it will be hard to keep museum up and running,” said Healy. “The money comes to the Arts Council for the betterment of the arts. When the future board takes over, they are going to have to come to grips with that relationship.”

Jean Moore, the president of the Arts Council Board, believes relationships can be mended, and believes that the report is the fi rst step forward for the museum’s rebirth.

“There is a lot in that report that people knew,” she said, noting that there have been some who have been critical of the report within the community. “We needed someone who was not involved in the situation to look at it objectively and give us a way ahead.

“Part of what Diane had to ascertain was where we had been and how much commitment there is for the museum. She had to figure out where it had been to fi gure out the steps for rebuilding,” continued Moore. “I think she did a great job. There is some talk in the community that she didn’t tell us what to do to fi x it, but that is not what she was hired to do. What she has done is put us in the right direction. She has given the new board the right direction to move in, and now they can run with it.”

One of the biggest decisions the new board will have to make is where the new museum will be located. Healy and Moore both believe that the best location for the facility is downtown.

Many in the community, including Healy, have their eyes on the Lundy Building, Festival Park Plaza, on the perimeter of Festival Park.

“We had three very successful shows in the Lundy Building,” said Healy. “The city owns it and is paying $50,000 a month to keep it vacant. I haven’t spoken with the city and no one is going to enter this process without the board or a budget, but if the city wants a museum, they are going to have to step up and make it happen.”

Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne said the city wants a museum, and he believes its ultimate location should be downtown.

He noted that the Lundy Building is a “diffi cult proposition,” because the city does not, in fact, own it. The building was originally owned by the Lundy Group, The Chamber of Commerce and 3 Aaab LLC (SchoolLink). The city does pay mortgage and operating subsidies for the building, and shortfalls in rent when it is not occupied.

“We have not talked with anyone, but once the museum is reorganized and the new board is in place, we would welcome talks with them,” said Chavonne.

Photo, middle right: The outgoing FMoA Board has high hopes for the future of the museum.

Have you ever sat in the theatre and had to physically restrain yourself from getting up and dancing? If not, then you obviously haven’t made it to the Cape Fear Regional Theatre yet to see the musical production of Hairspray. Because if you had of found yourself sitting in the seats of the theatre, you would defi nitely have found your toes tapping and your hips twitching.

The latest production staged by the CFRT’s talented staff is a certifi able box-offi ce hit. I caught the show on a preview night, and while the CFRT staff took great pains to explain that a preview is really just a warm up, other than some minor sound issues, I didn’t see a lot to fault.

The cast, which has enough energy to light several city blocks, sang their hearts out, while dancing their butts off. The show, set in Baltimore in the ‘60s, has a rich dialogue that can make you laugh out loud, but can also break your heart. And the music, well as you read earlier, the music can also make you soar.

Director Tom Quaintance has done a great job of bringing a relatively young cast together in a very short amount of time. With just three or four weeks to pull the show together, Quaintance and crew should be extremely proud of the job they’ve done. The dancing, choreographed by Todd Michael Smith, an original member of the Broadway cast of Hairspray, was beautiful and very energetic. The cast Ponied, Mashpotatoed and Twisted their way throughout the twohour production.

The vocals were executed beautifully, and I’ve got to tell you this cast has some chops.

At center stage most of the performance was Amy Rowland, a student at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, who plays Tracy, the chubby Baltimore teen who turns the town upside down with her big hair, her dancing and her desire to integrate the daily dance show. Rowland, a music major, spends four or five hours in class singing every day, and then comes to the theatre and puts on one heck of a show. The petite Charlotte native has a great vocal range and she has a really big voice for such a small girl.

Also getting high marks in the vocal department is Joy Ducree Gregory, who plays Motormouth Maybelle, the quick talking DJ, who spins records in her record store for the black teens, while the white kids dance on TV. Gregory, a Wilmington resident, stopped the show with her performance of “I Know Where I’ve Been,” an epic song that refl ects on the changes she has seen throughout her life, and the changes yet to come. This performance had the audience sitting on the edge of their seats, and brought home the tensions and pain of that segregated time.

Fayetteville resident Alexis Dove Chieffet, playing Velma Von Tussle, did a great job of creating the character that everybody loves to hate. Her show-stopping moment came during the first act when she belted out “Miss Baltimore Crabs.” This song and this scene are laugh-out-loud funny.

I would be remiss not to mention Richard Pruitt, a New York actor, who plays Tracy’s mom Edna. Pruitt, a big teddy bear of a man, made the transition to Edna beautifully. His mannerisms were great, and his comedic timing superb. I really loved his interaction with Ken Griggs, a CFRT regular, who played his husband. The two played off each other nicely. Of particular note was their performance of “You’re Timeless To Me.”

The supporting cast did a wonderful job and put everything they had in the show. They seemed as energized at the end of the show as they were at the beginning. And that’s saying a lot.

If you haven’t made it down to the theatre yet to see this great production, don’t worry, you still have time. The show runs through Feb. 13, but I would suspect if word-of-mouth works, tickets are going fast. So dance your way downtown so you can catch the beat and while the evening away with the “Nicest Kids” in town.

For show times and dates, visit www.cfrt.org.

On Wednesday Feb. 2, rock artists, Korn and Distrurbed rolled through the Crown Coliseum on the fifth annual Music as a Weapon Tour. The tour will also feature metal heavy-weights Sevendust, and a relative new comer to the hard rock scene, In This Moment.

ITM features the only female rocker on this top-tier tour, Maria Brink. Maria’s platinum blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that match her soul piercing voice quickly gives way to a canvas of tattoos that helps her blend in with rest of her So-Cal metal mélange.

The five member band that formed together five years ago in Los Angeles have had success touring with the god-father of metal Ozzy Osbourne, and they continue to reach new audiences with their latest release, A Star-Crossed Wasteland. Wasteland is the group’s third offering produced by Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch), and brings together the group’s eclectic tastes and influences to produce a uniquely dark and melodious sound that is beginning to solidly define the group. The singles “Just Drive,” “The Promise” and “Gun Show” have helped the album reach #40 on the Billboard Top 200.

Chris Howorth, founding member and guitarist, says the dynamic of the group has led to the evolution of their sound.

“My influences are more traditional metal, like Pantera and Metallica, but Maria brings unique tastes like Mazzy Star and Massive Attack,” said Howard. “As we all push to have our influence felt, it blends into the unique sound that we have now.”

While Music as a Weapon is not the bands first big tour, as they’ve done arena tours with Ozzy, toured with Korn on the Mayhem Fest, and rocked last summer’s Warped Tour, the band is enjoying gaining new audience and new fans with the Weapon Tour.

“We love the music and realize that can be a very powerful tool,” said Howard. “We all just want to make an impact, so we’re going out there every night trying to have the best show we can. Even now we still get new fans come up to us after the show who haven’t heard of us, but they fall in love with the music.”

As the band bring its arsenal of metal to Fayetteville, Howard says they look forward to playing in another military town.

“We’ve played Hooligan’s in South Carolina (outside of Fort Jackson), and we’re always super-excited whenever we see it on the tour,” continues Howard. “The military crowd always brings this great energy to the show and we just have an awesome time.”

Photo: Music as a weapon comes to the Crown Coliseum on Feb.2.

PLANNING YOUR OWN FUTURE

Just as you take inventory of your parents’ resources, so should you evaluate your own. We believe that if you take the time and make the effort to get ready for the final stages of your life, as difficult and as expensive as some of those preparations may be, you will make that part of your life far more secure and fulfilling than it would otherwise be for both you and your loved ones.

Plan today for your tomorrow.

Where you will end up on the curve and how much care, if any, you will need depends on a number of variables:

• Shoot for the Galapagos but prepare for the worst. By all means plan for a comfortable, exciting retirement. But plan simultaneously for the time when that wonderful retirement might be cut short, gradually or suddenly, by accident or disease. Any of us could spend months, or perhaps years, with our physical or mental aptitudes in disheartening decline.

• Prepare now — and you should begin to plan immediately, because as you likely know from the experience with your parents, if you wait for an emergency to begin planning, the emotional and financial difficulties will be multiplied.

• Prioritize — think sensibly about the basic needs in your life, beyond food and other essentials, and focus on what you could give up and could not give up.

• Buy a home to last. If you are moving, either within your current area or many miles away, contemplate the kind of house you will want not just next year, but in 10 or 15 years, when you are likely to be less enthusiastic about climbing the flights of stairs.

• Estate planning. Everyone, and certainly everyone with children, should have a formal, comprehensive, written estate plan that designates a power of attorney for someone else to act in their behalf.

• Will. You can’t assume that your children or other heirs are going to apportion whatever money you leave in a way that you would consider fair. Make your wishes clear and legal in a will. Even when the financial consequences of dying without a will are small, the emotional repercussions can be tremendous.

• Advance Directive. This document is as crucial as a will( and is sometimes referred to as a living will)and emotionally might be even more difficult to face. The document states your wishes in some terrible accident or medical episode leaves you near death with little or no chance of recovery. It also creates a health care proxy, a relative or friend who can make the decisions associated with such an event on your behalf.

• Power of Attorney. You should give someone the power of attorney to act on your behalf if you are disabled in an accident or by an illness. Even though you will likely recover to take care of your own finances and sign important papers, in the meantime someone will have to sign the papers for the mortgage refinancing or the lease on the summer cabin. Give your power of attorney to an alternate as well.

• Last wishes. You can do your family a great favor by providing final instructions which address questions and other issues which are important to you. Don’t put the burden of making these decisions on your children.

• Long-Term Care Protection. One way is to reinforce the income you expect from savings and the equity in your home with long-term care insurance. A typical policy purchased currently would provide $100 a day worth of care, roughly the cost of a professional non-medical caregiver at home for five hours a day at current rates. A reassuring policy would cover you for four years of care with a provision for inflation of 5 percent a year compounded. There are financial advantages to buying early, of course; evaluate your options.

In a beautiful program of music centered around the spiritual, awardwinning opera singer and North Carolina native Cheryse McLeod Lewis celebrates the rich history and heritage of African Americans on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. at the J.W. Seabrook Auditorium on the campus of Fayetteville State University. Admission is free.

“This is part of our fi ne arts series,” said Dr. Earnest Lamb, chair of Fayetteville State University’sDepartment of Performing and Fine Arts. “She will present a program of African-American spirituals and other music by African Americans, including a musical setting (by Lee Holby) of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. She will also sing three pieces with the University Concert Choir.”

Originally from Greensboro, Lewis earned her bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, her master’s of music in Vocal Performance from The University of North Carolina-Greensboro and her Professional Artist Certifi cate from the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

She has performed with Asheville Lyric Opera, South Carolina Opera, Connecticut Opera, UNC-Greensboro Opera Theatre, Capital Opera Raleigh, Central Georgia Opera Guild, Greensboro Opera, Opera Carolina, Piedmont Opera, The Opera Company of N.C. and Houston Ebony Opera. Lewis also appears and records with the Inspirata Quartet and her duo group, Eleganza, in addition to performing as a soloist. She is the recipient of several prestigious vocal competition prizes.

“What we have is basically a home girl (sic) coming back to the state and visiting our campus,” Lamb said. “It’s important that our students get a chance to interact with another African- American opera singer and get another perspective of what’s possible as far as music careers. The day before the concert, she will give a master class for our students. Anyone can attend on Wednesday at noon. She probably will talk about what it’s like to be a professional musician, especially being in opera, what kind of preparation that she needs. We are looking forward to her sharing her professional life and passing that experience on to our students.”

For more information, call the FSU Ticket Offi ce at (910) 672-1724, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., or visit www.uncfsu.edu/fah.

Raqi Barnett hasn’t been in Fayetteville that long, but she’s been in theater for more than 30 years teaching, modeling, acting and directing. She’s good at it — and she loves it.

She’ll be making her directorial debut in Fayetteville at the Gilbert Theater on Feb. 3, when Paul Woolverton and John Merritt’s play Dateline Greensboro opens there.

This is the story of the beginning of the Civil Rights movement — more specifi cally, it is the tale of how a series of sit-ins in Greensboro, N.C., in 1960, sparked a movement that changed the world while baffl ing and transforming the news industry there.

It all started when four African-American college students went to the lunch counter in Woolworth’s, which was a whites-only establishment. They sat down, asked for food and were promptly asked to leave. Without violence or malice, they chose to stay, much to the chagrin of the other customers. They came back again and again and were mistreated each time. They were spit upon, had food dumped on them and were called every name in the book, but they stood fi rm and responded without violence.

One of the reasons that these sit-ins were so important is that the local press responded with great interest, and the story was picked up and reported around the country.

In this production Barnett is seeking to draw the audience into the experience and transport them to 1960 to give them a taste of the tension that surrounded these events. The play begins before the audience even makes it to their seats.

“As soon as people go into the theater they are already back in time. There are signs saying “colored only,” “white only,” “we serve whites only” and things like that, as soon as you enter,” said Barnett. “In the lobby you will see the four guys at a mock Woolworth’s counter so you can see how it was when they were there.”

Then the audience will move into the theater where they will have a choice to sit in the whites only side or the colored only side so they can see how it was in that era going to the theater. Then the newspaper will start covering the story as if it were that day in 1960.

The characters are introduced in black and white costumes. This is by design.

“As the play progresses, the audience will be able to see how the characters are affected by the events around them,” said Barnett. “It will be sort of like Pleasantville, at least that is my vision. As the characters change internally their costumes will refl ect that — or not. There are some characters who remain unchanged by the course of events. I think it will be an interesting evening for the audience.”

The fact that Barnett, a black woman, is directing a play about the Civil Rights Movement during Black History Month is not lost on her.

“There is extra pressure and extra excitement in it and in being able to tell a story that is still very relevant. The cast is amazing, and I think the play will be great,” said Barnett. “The goal is for everyone to take away with them a little part of history.”

Barnett is dedicating her work on this play to her husband’s unit, the XVIII Airborne Corps, which is currently deployed to Iraq.

Dateline Greensborowill run through Feb. 20 on Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12, except for opening night which is “pay-what-you-can” night. Space is limited, so make your reservations at gilberttheater@aol.com or by calling 678-7186.

As you read in last week’s edition of Up & Coming Weekly, the FireAntz have some exciting hockey coming up. There are also some really unique and fun promotions coming soon. Here are just some of the highlights of what is to come:

Saturday, Feb. 5, the FireAntz, fans and corporate partners will once again take an opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women of the military.

The FireAntz will wear special, patriotic jerseys for the game and all of the themes of the night are in support of the military. Several of their partners have joined them in supporting the military that night; Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union, US Logoworks, Stanley Steemer, First Class Property Management, Wilson Off Road, Century 21 Agents, 4G Communications, Carpet Dry Clean and Restoration, Wolfe Audio, Century Link, Dex Knows, Master Exterminators, and Caviness and Cates. It’s sure to be a great night and a great tribute to the military.

Friday, Feb. 25, is Kidsville Kids Night. The singing/dancing troupe known as the Kidsville Kids will be in attendance and performing throughout the game. They put on a spectacular show and this is one you won’t want to miss.

Tuesday, March 8 is Kids Night presented by Cape Fear Valley Health. There is a great ticket promotion for that game and the proceeds are going to a wonderful cause. Fans who donate $1 to Friends of Children will get a free ticket to the March 8 game. There will be select locations that you may donate.

Make sure to circle these dates and check out the other ones as well. There is guaranteed to be exciting hockey, and as you can see, some really exciting promotions as well.

Photo: FireAntz Forward Chris Leveille streaks into the zone. Photo
Courtesy: J. Shank.

Ahhh, the magic of the circus — the clowns, the animals, the music and food all add up to a day of excitement and fun. There is just nothing like it — and it will be here soon. Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 10-13, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus presents Zing Zang Zoom Gold Edition “a magical circus experience, where just feet away from your seat you will enjoy high-fl ying excitement and pulse-pounding acts combined with performers of amazing courage and extraordinary skill!”

Jason Gibson is the production manager of this particular version of the greatest showon earth and considers himself one of the luckiest people in the world to have such a great job.

“Even though I am one of the behind the scenes guys, I just love coming to Fayetteville,” said Gibson. “It is great to be around the military and have a chance to make so many people smile.”

Since this event is a little more intimate — it is a one ring circus, not the traditional three ring type — Ringling Brothers is able to offer the public a chance to meet the performers, including some of the animals at the pre-show warm-up, and it is included in the ticket price. For an hour before the show, ticket holders are invited to come to the arena fl oor and get up close and personal with the performers.

So you pay for two hours of excitement and get an extra one for free, Gibson noted.

“People can meet the performers, shake their hands, have pictures made with them and even try-on previous season costumes,” said Gibson. “It is a chance to make a real connection with the performers and maybe even learn a trick or two. If you want to learn how to juggle, we can show you how. It is a really fun and amazing time for both the audience and the performers.”

Suzy, one of their beautiful and majestic Asian elephants, makes an appearance at the pre-show and produces a work of art that some lucky circus goer will take home. Folks sign up, and at some point during the show, a name is called and the winner takes home a colorful elephant footprint, courtesy of Suzy.

“It is really cool because you are sitting just feet away from this gentle giant as she makes the art work, and then we are able to give it away during the show,” said Gibson.

The event will include thrillusionist David Davinci, who in 2007 set a world record with an underwater free-diving card trick. To promote the Zing Zang Zoom opening, Davinci took to the air just a few weeks ago on Jan. 19 in Savannah, GA., hanging upside down from a hot-air balloon, in a straight jacket. He freed himself in just seconds. See it on youtube at www.youtube. com/watch?v=dE41lsoiE9Q.

During the circus, Davinci will attempt a similar feat, but one that is just as dangerous, as he attempts to escape a straitjacket while suspended three stories in the air above a den of lions.

“Since this is a one-ring show and we don’t really have a ringleader, David provides continuity during the show, and acts as the host,” said Gibson. “He performs several amazing stunts throughout the show.”

Flying high is a common theme as Viktoriya and Windy, the Hairdaring Duo, perform an extreme hair hang an amazing 35 feet in the air and Sky- High Sensation Franclieb Rodrigues walks upside down, across the ring without a safety harness.

Trained house cats, yes, there is such a thing, are a crowd favorite, too.

“Watching them jump through hoops and perform tricks is so much fun and you can tell that the cats are having a really good time, too,” said Gibson. “I think people really like that act because so many folks have cats and can relate to them.”

Of course, there are clowns, three trained elephants, Kung Fu performances, motorcycle stunts and more.

Tickets start at $10 for children, and go all the way up to $55 for a VIP pass. Show times vary. Tickets are available at the Crown Box Offi ce and all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information, visit www.atthecrown.com.

Dr. Ben Hancock, the new president of Methodist University, took some time recently to talk with Up & Coming Weekly about his new role and his vision for the university.

UCW: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you coming from and why you consider Methodist University a good fit for you?

Hancock: In terms of my personal background, I consider myself a dedicated husband and father, and I have been blessed with a wonderful family. We are very close and do many things together, even though our children are all adults and live in five different states. We have had some wonderful experiences that make for great stories around the dinner table during our many family gatherings. I am also a first generation college student, so I can identify with students and families who are also entering the higher education community for the first time. Methodist has a great opportunity to deliver on an educational promise to these individuals and help them realize their personal and professional goals. There are several primary reasons for my excitement about joining Methodist University and the Fayetteville community. First and foremost, since my very first visit this past fall, I have been overwhelmed by the people — both on campus and in the community. There is not only a tremendous sense of pride in what has been accomplished and the many assets available, but also a drive to continue to improve and provide the very best education possible to students within a caring environment. Our university theme of “Engage, Enrich and Empower” says it best. Finally, I firmly believe in Methodist’s mission and believe this is an exceptional time in the university’s history to join the community and move Methodist forward. There has been a successful track record in recent years, including a record enrollment this past fall, but everyone believes there is so much more we can do for current and future students to help them shape lives of meaning and purpose.

UCW: What are your goals for the university?

Hancock: My short-terms goals are to learn as much about the university and greater Fayetteville community as I can, and the best way to do that is to meet people and engage them in the life of Methodist University. I look forward to visiting with alumni, volunteers and community leaders to secure their input as we plan for the future of the university. We have recently approved a five-year strategic plan, so my other immediate goal will be to make sure that we are on track with reaching the annual targets that were set forth in that plan by the university leadership and approved by the trustees. In the long-term, we need to make sure we are continuing to meet the needs of our current and future students, and that can only be done by looking at additional initiatives in partnership with our on-campus community as well as the external community. “Collaboration, imagination, innovation and operation” will be the four keys to our success in these endeavors.

UCW: What do you see as your biggest challenges at Methodist?

Hancock: The greatest opportunity is to do a better job of telling Methodist’s story. We have so many positive things to share about our growth in facilities, programs and enrollment. There is a commitment to excellence at the university that is a part of everything we do, and we have such quality people from the exceptional board of trustees and other volunteer leaders to every faculty and staff member on the campus. All of this sets the stage at Methodist for us to believe enthusiastically that “the best is yet to be.” As we tell the Methodist story and as we develop more partners in the community, we will set a course to enlarge the University’s footprint and imprint. We need to serve a wider geographic area as well as develop innovative programs to meet the needs here in Cumberland County, whether they be first generation students, adult students or members of the military community and their families who would benefit immensely by making Methodist their university home. In terms of impact, we have the nationally recognized programs and faculty to enable these individuals to meet their educational goals and achieve success in employment and graduate and professional school.

UCW: What do you want Fayetteville to know about you/your plans while you are here?

Hancock: My plans for Methodist will grow out of a collaborative process with the internal and external community. There has never been a great university without a great community, and I also believe that the greatest communities have exceptional universities. National surveys ranking the “best places to live” consistently place university communities at the top of the list, and this is not by accident. It is based on the collective assets that both parties provide to enhance the quality of life for all members of the community. I also want Fayetteville to know that Methodist extends an invitation to visit our campus. If you have not visited us lately, you are in for a treat. In just the last few years there has been the addition of a new visual arts building, two new buildings for the P.A. program, and a new residence hall along with other improvements. And plans call for a new building for the nursing program and four new residence halls that will open this coming fall. But what you will most notice during your visit is not the facilities, but the warm hospitality each visitor receives. Methodist is a community resource and we will provide many more opportunities for community members to visit the campus and become engaged in the life of the University.

Fifty-five years ago, the members of The North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Church and local Methodist churches had a brilliant and daring idea. Deciding that their town deserved a four-year college, these brave pioneers went out into the community canvassing funds to build a college from the ground up. They finally achieved their goal, saving enough money in 1956, opening the doors of then Methodist College, now Methodist University, in 1960 and congratulating their fi rst graduating class in 1964.

Every second Tuesday in February, supporters of Methodist University continue this tradition of gathering community support, when more than 100 volunteers go out into the community and collect funds from Fayetteville’s business owners and community leaders to provide scholarships for Methodist students.

This year, Loyalty Day will be held on February 8. Volunteers will be making phone calls and paying visits in the community to share information about Methodist University and the campaign’s “A Passion for Education” message.

“We are grateful to the members of the Methodist University Foundation and the more than 100 business people and individuals who volunteer their time to make personal visits on Loyalty Day to raise funds for scholarships for our students,” said Lauren Cook Wike, director of the Annual Fund and Alumni Affairs for Methodist University. “It says so much to the community that these volunteer representatives have given of their time to help provide for educational opportunities for others — that is why Loyalty Day has been successful over its 54-year history.”

Most importantly, Loyalty Day is about the students. Over 90 percent of Methodist University students received some form of scholarship or financial aid. Without this assistance, many of these students would not have access to a Methodist education. The funds raised during Loyalty Day are devoted solely to the support of student scholarships. There are over  2,100 students from 41 states and 30 countries that depend on the generosity of the Fayetteville, Cumberland County, community on Loyalty Day and throughout the year.
 

Wike noted that this year’s event has signifi cance in that it is the community’s fi rst introduction to the university’s new president, Dr. Ben Hancock. Hancock made his first public appearance on Thursday, Jan. 20 at the Chamber Coffee Club. He was introduced by Harvey Wright II, a graduate of the class of 1970 and now the chairman of the Methodist University Board of Trustees. Methodist traditionally sponsors the January Coffee Club to kick off its annual Loyalty Day campaign, and the board thought it a fi tting time to introduce Hancock to the community.

Dr. Hancock comes to Methodist from Ball State, where he served as vice president for University Advancement. Hancock earned a bachelor’s degree in Russian studies in 1974 and a master’s degree in education in 1975 from James Madison University in Virginia. He completed his doctorate at the University of Virginia in comparative and international education in 2004. Only the fourth president in the school’s history, Hancock was tapped for the position by the Board of Trustees in November 2010. He will offi cially take offi ce in March 2011. Hancock succeeds Dr. M. Elton Hendricks, who served as president of the university for 27 years. In his role as president, Hancock will also oversee the establishment of effective fundraising and alumni-relations strategies, systems, networks and practices.

In addition, he directly supervises the administrative areas of University Advancement, which comprises University Development, Advancement Services, International Advancement, Alumni Programs and the Alumni Center. In addition to the traditional solicitation in the community, Methodist is adding a unique event to this year’s Loyalty Day activities: a benefit concert featuring The Embers. The beach band has been named North Carolina’s offi cial musical ambassadors. For decades, The Embers have been making music by playing a mix of rhythm and blues and heart and soul.

Tickets are available now for the concert slated for Friday, Feb. 4, and can be purchased by visiting www.methodist.edu or by calling (910) 630-7167. For more information about Loyalty Day, please contact Lauren Wike at (910) 630-7167, e-mail to lwike@methodist.edu or visit www.methodist.edu and select “Development.”k

Up & Coming Weekly recently had a conversation with local musician Roy Shiels about his plans for 2011.

UCW: Who are your band members and what instruments do they play?

RS: Roy Shiels (vocals, guitars, bass, piano & drums). I incorporate various musicians for live shows and I will be searching for live musicians when in Fayetteville.

UCW: Give us a brief history lesson on your career. When and where did you get started?

RS: I’ve been a musician (guitar) from the age of 15, played in several rock/ indie bands throughout Dublin city. I’ve been writing songs since 2000 and became a gigging solo artist in 2008.

UCW: How did you choose your stage name? RS: It’s my birth name UCW: How would you define your music?

RS: Light and shade... edgy, contemporary rock with with pop/indie elements.

UCW: Who are your favorite bands/influences on your music?

RS: Arcade Fire, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, U2, Peral Jam, MGMT

UCW: Do you write your own music and where does that inspiration come from?

RS: Yes. What ever life throws at me, I throw it into a song

UCW: If you only had two words to describe yourself what would they be? RS: Doggedly passionate UCW: What are your hopes/goals for the future?

RS: I really want to tour the United States.

UCW: Where do you see yourself five years, 10 years from now?

RS: Recording my third album and touring internationally.

UCW: Where can Fayetteville music lovers check you in the near future?

RS: I’m at www.myspace.com/royshiels and in early 2011, in as many Fayetteville clubs & bars as possible.

Photo: Roy Shiels

The Green Hornet (Rated PG-13) 3 STARS

Well, The Green Hornet (119 minutes) probably won’t win any awards, but that’s not really what it’s for anyway. Director Michel Gondry typically specializes in mind bending metamovies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind Rewind. This one doesn’t quite seem to fit, and it seems to drag on and on at times, but it was a fun super hero movie with some hot leading men.

James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) is the publisher of the Los Angeles Daily Sentinel. In his spare time, he emotionally abuses his son Britt (Seth Rogen) and earns the admiration of the entire city. Too bad he is DOOMED!! Once he has thoroughly demoralized the little man in his care, the little man grows up to be a surprisingly thin playboy slacker; a “Bruce Wayne” type, if you will.

Britt goes through a mid-life crisis at age 28, but eventually the power of amazing coffee topped with a leaf shape made of steamed frothy milk beings him back to reality. The progenitor of this heavenly brew is the heavenly Kato (Jay Chou, who I forgive for not being John Cho). It turns out that in addition to cappuccino making and car fixing, Kato is super great at designing sophisticated weapons and preforming martial arts.

Lucky for Britt, he is also pretty terrific at saving people. When Britt makes a bad decision, Kato is there to do some awesome slow motion moves that result in all kinds of crazy camera work. Based on Kato’s overall perfection as a person, and the fact that Britt is trying to overcome his massive daddy issues, the two decide to work together to fight crime. Because becoming police officers/ private investigators/lawyers/people who work with disadvantaged children who just need a big brother to steer them towards good decisions would take way too much work, they go in another direction. They decide to be vigilantes who pose as criminals in order to avoid emotional blackmail or something — that part didn’t make much sense, but whatever.

There’s only one problem. Despite Britt’s fortune and Kato’s prowess, they have no idea how to be super heroes disguised as super villains. Enter Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz). She is, as so often happens, way smarter than the people she works for, but not smart enough to know she is being used. Her role saves the film from being a sexist mess, much like the skilled Jay Chou manages to subvert stereotypes just before the moment where they are promoted.

It is hard to pinpoint the Big Bad, but Benjamin Chudnofsky/Bloodnofsky (Christoph Waltz) is supposed to be the super villain. The problem is, the actor just isn’t channeling the action comedy genius you would expect … he is not menacing enough or funny enough. He doesn’t seem to fit the role, and he pulls the whole film down. Picture this: instead of a scenery chewing Waltz, let Edward James Olmos play the bad guy behind the bad guy! He was already in the film as managing editor Mike Axford, the trusted confidante of Poppa Reid … but he could have been so much more!

Too bad I wasn’t consulted. While the writers and directors were on the phone with me, we could have also talked through the disappointing love subplot that didn’t really go anywhere, and irritated me with its simplistic nature. At least I got some laughs out of the dialogue. But it’s never a good sign when I’m the only one in the theater laughing.

Overall, fans of Seth Rogen will enjoy an afternoon at the movies. Fans of the original Green Hornet, and the superhero genre in general should probably rent this one.

In being asked to do this article, I was introduced to the both beautiful and little known art of scrimshaw. I, like most people, had never heard of the practice, probably due to the fact that it was most popular in the mid-1700 and early 1800s, but is now getting some of the recognition it deserves.

Scrimshaw is the act of carving images into the surface of the bones or teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales and sometimes the tusk of the walrus. After the picture is carved, the image is then highlighted with some sort of pigment or ink. The making of scrimshaw began on whaling ships between 1745 to 1759 on the Pacifi c Ocean, and was widely popular until the late 1800s. Scrimshaw is derived from the practice of sailors on whaling ships creating common tools, where the byproducts of whales were readily available to them. The term originally referred to the making of these tools, only later referring to works of art created by whalers in their spare time. Early scrimshaw was done with crude sailing needles, and the movement of the ship, as well as the skill of the artist, produced drawings of varying levels of detail and artistry. Originally, candle black, soot or tobacco juice would have been used to bring the etched design into view. Today’s artists use fi ner tools in various sizes, mostly borrowed from the dental industry. Some would ink their work with more than one color, and restrained polychromed examples of this art are now popular. The work of whaling was very dangerous at the best of times, and whalers were unable to work at night. This gave them a great deal more free time than other sailors and since whale bone was ideally suited for the task, and was easy to work and plentiful, the development of scrimshaw took off and stayed popular for many years.

The market for whale teeth, (which was sought by Chinese traders for use in the Pacifi c Islands), was fl ooded after a narrative by an American sailor revealed both the market and the source of the teeth survived until the ban on commercial whaling. The practice survives as a hobby and as a trade for commercial artisans, such as Kenneth L. Baldwin.

Kenneth Baldwin is a Cincinnati Ohio native, and is both a musician and artist that has worked in many different ventures including painting, book and magazine illustration and of course, the art of scrimshaw. Graduating from Cincinnati Art School of Advertising, he worked in advertising and commercial art until joining the US Navy as an illustrator; it was there that his love of scrimshaw fi rst began. “During my time in the navy I became quite interested in naval history and I remember seeing pictures of scrimshaw in history books, and was instantly attracted to its beauty and the craftmanship of it.” His work has been displayed in multiple galleries, museums, and with private collectors in the United States and in Europe. Along with his love of art, he has also been blessed with the talent of composing and performing music pieces. Since the early 1990s Kenneth has served as a primary songwriter and instrumentalist for several acoustic ensembles and also as a soloist and his compositions have been used on National Public Radio stations across the country.

Recently retired from the service and a new Fayetteville resident, Kenneth has been busy since he arrived, writing a one-act play, children’s book concepts, and a project consisting of a collection of new compositions for a recording of original American Civil War era songs.

Hank Parfitt, founder, director and past President of The Downtown Alliance says, “We’re very excited about presenting this installment by Kenneth Baldwin, it is truly unique. I do not think that Fayetteville has ever seen such an exhibit, and I think that people will really enjoy it.”

Kenneth has seen a great response to his work from the public. “I think people are fascinated by this true American art form. It’s a delicate and meticulous process, and people are always interested in the time that it takes and care that it takes to create this art. Scrimshaw has been around a long time, but it’s not a well known art form, although it is seen often on knife handles and similar items.”

When asked about the sometimes controversial usage of rare materials, Baldwin states “I rarely use whale teeth or walrus tusks any longer, but use the more environmentally friendly faux ivory. Other times I use Mastedon and Mammoth tusk, once they have been dried and prepared, which really adds to the carvings antique look and feel.

You have a chance to view Kenneth Baldwin’s art and sample his music this month at the City Center Gallery and Books on Jan. 28, located at 112 Hay Street, Fayetteville N.C. 20301. For more information call City Center Gallery and Books at 678-8899.

Since 1932, the North Carolina Symphony has been enthralling audiences with fi ne musical compositions and fi rst class entertainment. They perform 175 concerts annually throughout the state in varied settings and communities of all sizes. Whether it is a concert hall, a gymnasium or a park, the symphony is constantly and consistently reaching out to North Carolina residents to share with them the beauty and art of musical performances. They’ve partnered with other arts organizations like the Playmakers Repertory Company and the North Carolina Museum of Art to produce things like the four-concert series Crossing the Atlantic which examined cultural and musical dialogues between America and Britain and featured the work of Robin Holloway, James MacMillan, Edgar Meyer and Jennifer Higdon, among others.

On Thursday, Feb. 3, the North Carolina Symphony will perform at Reeves Auditorium at Methodist University as part of their Dance in Music Series.

The orchestra will play several pieces including Debussy’s “Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun” and “Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.” Renowned soloist Valentina Lisitsa will perform Saint-Sans’s “Piano Concerto No. 2”.

Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine to a family of non-musicians. She began playingthe piano at the age of three and had her fi rst solo recital when she was four. Although she is quite talented and music came easy to her, she had no intention of becoming a full-time musician. She had her sights set on becoming a professional chess player.

“With a minimum of practice time, she sailed through the Kiev Conservatory, winning competitions along the way, by relying on her extraordinary sight-reading abilities and photographic memory. Valentina attributes her effortless technique to hours of mindless repetition of the most difficult passages while simultaneously devouring a book that interested her, which she kept open on her music stand. This way, she explains, she was able to convince her family that she was practicing,” according to the North Carolina Symphony.

After meeting fellow student and her future partner, Alexei Kuznetsoff, at the Conservatory, Lisitsa began to think about music more seriously. The first major enterprise undertaken by the young couple turned out to be not only a great success but a turning point in their lives. They decided to prepare for the most important two-piano competition in the world — The Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition.

In one year of intense work they achieved something which ordinarily takes decades — becoming a seamless unity as a duo-piano team. Their reward, in addition to winning fi rst prize in the 1991 Competition, was an opportunity to move to the United States and launch a career as one of the most highly-esteemed piano duos in the country, beginning with their orchestral debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in New York.

The dance portion of the evening will include Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’ opera Prince Igor. The Polovtsy were nomadic invaders of Russia who, in the opera, capture Igor.

The show starts at 8 p.m. Visit http://www.ncsymphony.org/ for tickets and more info.

Photo above right: Valentina Lisitsa

Your Fayetteville FireAntz return to action this Saturday night and will take to the ice in the middle of the muddied waters that are the Southern Professional Hockey League standings. There are only four points separating fourth place from seventh in the SPHL, with the top six teams qualifying for the playoffs.

There is plenty of hockey to be played, however, as the FireAntz have 21 games remaining of the 56-game schedule. Of those, nine are at home where the FireAntz will look to capitalize on their home-ice advantage.

As the FireAntz begin their push towards the playoffs they are looking to a few key players to lead the way. Two forwards, Chris Leveille and Rob Sich, are amongst the top four in scoring in the SPHL and have been near or atop the scoring list all season. Newcomer Anthony Perdicaro has been a tremendous spark for the offense as well, tallying a point-per-game that he’s been with the club.

At the other end of the ice, the FireAntz have received tremendous play from two rookie goaltenders, Travis Yonkman and Mike Spillane. Each arriving since opening night, the two rookies have proven to be among the best the SPHL has to offer. Spillane, who was named SPHL Player of the Week on December 5th, was then quickly called up to the Greenville Road Warriors of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL.) Yonkman, who leads amongst goaltenders in the SPHL in save percentage is the other half of the dynamic goaltending duo for the FireAntz. He is also fourth in save percentage.

Combining with the offense and goaltending the FireAntz continue to look to captain defenseman Craig Geerlinks to anchor the team’s defensive corps. The perennial leader in blocked shots as well as the all-time leader in games played in SPHL history, the veteran provides solid on and off ice leadership as well as being the consistent stalwart defenseman for the FireAntz.

Join the FireAntz in their push through the remainder of the season as they look to get into playoff mode. There is sure to be riveting hockey action the remainder of the season. Kick it off this Saturday, Jan. 29th, as your FireAntz take the home ice against long time rival, the Knoxville Ice Bears.

Photo: FireAntz Forward #7 Anthony Perdicaro. Photo Courtesy: J. Shank.

Do you remember with fondness a time when big hair was in, and non-competitive dance shows were all the rage? Even if you don’t remember those days with a certain degree of fondness, The Cape Fear Regional Theatre has a show that’s right up your alley — Hairspray!

On Saturday, Jan. 22, an exuberant cast is going to Mashpotato, Pony and ChaCha their way into CFRT history with its stellar music, amazing dancing, laughout- loud comedy and thought provoking look at life in the ‘60s.

For those not familiar with show, the year is 1962. Dancing on the Corny Collins Show is all the rage in Baltimore, and big hair is in. For Tracy Turnblad, who will be played by University of North Carolina at Pembroke student Amy Rowland, dancing on the show is her only desire, and when that dream comes true, she goes from social outcast to super star. Instead of basking in her new found fame, she takes the opportunity to vanquish the mean girls, win the heart of her crush and integrate a TV network all in one fell swoop. If the thought of doing that all at once leaves you breathless, wait until you see the energy packed show that is powered by the enthusiasm of the cast.

“I have really high expectations for this performance,” said Tom Quaintance, the director of the show. “We have a fantastic cast that has been working very hard. It’s really a great show. It’s really well cast. I think the audience is going to love it.”

For Quaintance and the cast, the show is still a work in progress. Rehearsals started during the holidays, which left Quaintance three and half weeks to put the show together.

“We took a look at the schedule, and because it is such a big show, we arranged to have four or fi ve rehearsals for dance and vocal to give the folks who were local a leg up,” he said, adding that throughout the duration of the rehearsals, there has only been one day (for just fi ve minutes) that the whole cast has been at the rehearsal at once.

Those early rehearsals did not include Rowland or Richard Pruitt, who is playing Tracy’s mother, Edna. Pruitt, the elder statesman of the cast, is the only member of the cast from New York.

“Over the past few years, I’ve gotten used to being the oldest person in most shows that I am in,” said Pruitt. “Admittedly this is an extremely young cast. I remember saying a couple of nights ago to Molly’s dad, Ken Griggs (who is also in the play), ‘I guess I was that young once. I can’t remember it. I’m sure I was that young once, but never that energetic.”

The majority of the ensemble has been cast from colleges across the state, although many members of the CFRT are in the cast, including Ken Griggs and his daughter, Molly.

“It’s fun to see people who are not jaded,” said Pruitt. “Sometimes in theater, especially in New York, you see a lot of people who are burned out. That isn’t the case here, it’s all very upbeat.”

“One of the challenges of the show is that it’s a very heavy dance show. People are dancing as hard as they can and singing as hard as they can. People are really working hard and it’s paying off,” said Quaintance.

Because the show is so demanding, the cast really does not get a break. Quaintance explained that as soon as one group goes off stage, they are singing in support of the people on stage.

The show is choreographed by Todd Smith, a member of the original Hairspray Broadway cast. This show will also feature the original staging and choreography, which presents its own challenges in a theatre the size of the CFRT.

“There are some challenges with the staging, but I love this space,” said Quaintance. “It’s a great size. With the size of this cast, you are really in the audience’s laps, so it’s so exciting.

“I’ve long been a believer that the pinnacle of musical is not Broadway. The best expression of musical theatre comes from young people. Musicals succeed or fail based on the pure joy that the performers have on stage. That’s what its about,” continued Quaintance. “Being up there, loving what you are doing and meaning it. If you are able to do that with a young cast, and tap into that energy, and then have the kind of professionals like Richard that bring the stability, focus and craft that they have, it’s going to be justthrilling.”

While the show is a comedy, it tackles some very serious issues.

“At the end of the day, it’s a relationship play. It’s a musical about love and acceptance,” said Quaintance. “When we were doing ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’, it’s hard to get through. It’s so emotional. You can get lost in how much fun the show is while you are putting it together and miss the really serious social situation that the play is taking place under. We were able to step back and talk about racism and how it has affected all of us. I’m proud that people aren’t leaning into the wacky part of it, and losing those relationships.”

“When we fi rst got into that big scene, we talked about it for a while, and made connections on how we would approach it,” said Rowland. “While we are singing that song, we aren’t just holding hands, we are connecting. It’s a very emotional process. We are experiencing it all together. We are not alone. It’s pure emotion.”

CFRT’s production of Hairspray runs from Jan. 20-Feb.13. The box offi ce is open. Tickets are $12/14 – Preview on Thursday, Jan. 20 and Friday, Jan. 21; $27 – Fridays and $29 Saturdays; $22 – Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Show times are 8:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sunday evening. Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. CFRT’s traditional discounts of $1 are available for seniors 55 and older, active duty military and their dependants on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturday matinees. There is a Military Appreciation Night on Thursday, Jan. 27. All active-duty military members and their families will receive $3 off the regular ticket price. For more information, visit www.cfrt.org

Fayetteville Technical Community College and the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity have worked together since 1988 to strengthen the community, improve the quality of life, and change lives. Since its founding in April 1988, the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity has built more than 110 homes to help eliminate substandard housing in Cumberland County, and Fayetteville Technical Community College is proud to be a partner in 59 of these proj-ects. FTCC’s Building and Trades Division and students enrolled in the cabinetmaking, plumbing, electrical, and masonry classes have completed 29 homes since the completion of the first dwelling on Camden Road.

The partnership between Fayetteville Tech and the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity provides not only the opportunity for hands-on training for FTCC students but also low-cost construction op-portunities for Habitat for Humanity. FTCC Student Hershel Williams feels that working on projects with Habitat of Humanity has helped him become more aware of community services. “FTCC students take pride in giving back to the community that has supported them throughout the years. Through the various projects with Habitat for Humanity and other similar non-profit orga-nizations, FTCC students are able to learn the value of giving back while gain-ing the experience needed to obtain employment after graduation. As a student participating in these projects, I am truly blessed,” Hershel said.

Students in the Building and Trades programs at FTCC learn quickly through working with Habitat for Humanity where the learning experience is based on a “hands-up” not a “hand-out” philosophy. FTCC students feel they are partnering with families by helping them build their homes, and FTCC students are committed to those families for their long-term success. FTCC students, faculty, administration, and members of the community can see the fruits of students’ labor in the completion of a house that may be the first “home” for a family.

Hershel Williams believes there is no substitute for experience and encourages any individual seek-ing knowledge and experience to enroll at Fayetteville Tech. The partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and other non-profits allow students valuable on-site job and learning experiences. Because of the combina-tion of hands-on experiences and classroom instruc-tion, students become knowledgeable and skilled employees available for the work force. Hershel plans to continue his education at NC A&T University and admits that the foundation he received at Fayetteville Technical Community College and through his experience with Habitat for Humanity have better prepared him for a successful four-year college experience.

All conscientious parents worry about their children’s educations, even when children attend excellent schools with dedicated and caring teachers. When the Dicksons’ Precious Jewels were of school age, we referred to each new school year as “an adventure in education,” because even top-notch schools have not-so-top-notch teachers and terrifi c teachers can be found in less well-regarded schools. Then, of course, there are the occasional personality clashes between teachers and students and the expected emotional moments that occur among students in every school setting.

I remember the start of each school year as a nerveracking few weeks until routine settled in, and I remember some entire grades as being perfectly wonderful and others as simply lost time.

 For some parents, adventures in education end when their own children leave school, but this really is not true. Public education should be a concern for all of us, because its quality affects our nation and everyone in it whether ornot we have current students.

Almost lost in the holiday rush was a troubling news story late last month about American education. Associated Press writers Christine Armario and Dorie Turner reported that almost a fourth of young Americans seeking to join the U.S. Army and other branches of our military service fail to meet minimum educational requirements.

Ponder that for a moment. 

What that says is that we are not preparing our young people well enough to defend their own nation.

Here are the dismal numbers from The Education Trust, a children’s advocacy group, using data released for the fi rst time by the Army. Of all Americans aged 17 to 24 — those most likely to seek military service — a whopping 75 percent do not qualify to take the enlistment exam at all because they are physically unfi t, often because they are overweight, they have a criminal record or they did not graduate from high school.

Of those who are eligible, 23 percent do not achieve the minimum score required by the Army on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, in military speak. The other services have higher requirements, meaning still fewer students are eligible for service in the Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. The Army requires recruits to score at least 31 out of 99 in the initial section of the three-hour test. The test includes basic questions such as “If 2 plus x equals 4, what is the value of x?” There are achievement gaps between whites and minority students just as there are on other nonmilitary standardized tests. North Carolina is average in that somewhere between 21 and 25 percent of our high school graduates do not pass the test.

The Department of Defense says our military services are meeting their current recruitment targets, but there is concern for the future as our economy improves and jobs are added in the private sector and perhaps in some areas of government, giving people more options than in the current recession economy. Retired Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett with Mission Readiness, a group of retired military leaders concerned about this issue, says “If you can’t get the people that you need, there’s a potential for a decline in your readiness.” Even U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan acknowledges the problem. “I am deeply troubled by the national security burden created by America’s underperforming education system.”

Like many of you, I have been in the military community a long time, and I am both impressed by and proud of our active duty military. They have chosen to serve and protect the rest of us in our nation, and the soldiers I encounter at all ranks are both fi t and smart. I join my fellow citizens in gratitude for their devoted service and the sacrifi ces freely given by both them and their families. The issue, though, is not our present military, but our future military. Will we have enough educated people ready and willing to perform the increasingly demanding and technologically challenging jobs required of active-duty personnel? This is the question we should all be asking ourselves and if the answer seems to be “no,” then we must ask ourselves what we can do about it.

This is not just a question for the educational establishment in school systems throughout our nation or for the parents of students now moving through our schools. It is a question for all of us who care about the strength of our nation and the defense of our way of life.

It is why we should all care about “adventures in education.”

The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra is well known for their outreach efforts to the community. With everything from free Fourth of July performances in Festival Park and at the Fort Bragg Parade Field to the free concert that all Cumberland County School System’s third graders attend each year to the Symphony at your library events, there is no doubt that the FSO believes that good music is for everyone and should be easily accessible to everyone, at little or no cost.

On Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Crown Coliseum, Maestro Fouhad Foukouri and the FSO present the Exceptional Children and Adults Concert. With the help of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County and the Florence Rogers Charitable Trust, the event is free and open to the public.

For this performance there will be no awkwardness when audience members clap loudly or sing out of turn, no frustrated neighbours telling the listeners to hush or throwing stink eye because of unbridled enthusiasm in response to the performance. Just as the name suggests, this event is for exceptional children and adults — and it will be more than a concert.

The sixty musicians will be presenting a dedicated classical performance that will include the Stars and Stripes and the National Anthem which will give all participants an opportunity to sing along.

However, the heart of the evening will be the symphonic performance of Peter and the Wolf, written by Sergei Prokofi ev. The story will be read by a narrator who will be accompanied by the orchestra. Adding to the experience, there will be pictures of the story in the lobby for concert attendees to enjoy.

“The beauty of performing Peter and the Wolf is that it is musical story telling at its fi nest. It is shorter and exciting and there are visuals to enhance the performance for those in attendance,” said FSO spokesperson, Carin Sychterz.

The audience is encouraged to visit the Instrument Petting Zoo where instruments will be placed on tables in the lobby with musicians who play those instruments there to offer guidance, answer questions and talk about sound, music and how a musician works to create sound.

“The concert goers will have the opportunity to play the instruments which will deepen their concert experience but also involve them in the musical process; giving the children and especially those with autism who are both visual learners and very tactile, a sense of being in the music,” said Sychterz.

So that the experience will be more than one unforgettable evening, the Fayetteville Symphony will give an FSO CD to the fi rst 125 families that attend the evening’s concert.

“This CD will give the special needs child or adult the opportunity to listen to other music that can give them joy over and over again; returning them to the classical music that will provide a calming and soothing experience and evoking the pleasing memories from the live performance,” Sychterz said.

This project is being supported fi nancially by the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County and The Florence Rogers Charitable Trust. It is also supported by the Autism Society of Cumberland County, The Gilmore Therapeutic Recreation Center, the Autism Society of North Carolina and theExceptional Family Member Program on Fort Bragg.

For more information call the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra at 433-4690. It’s free and no preregistration is required.

Photo top left: The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” - Pablo Picasso 

For 11 months of the year, the fourth Friday of each month (December excepted), downtown Fayetteville comes alive with art and artists of every stripe and color. Sometimes there are themes — November is special because of the Dicken’s holiday celebration which revisits A Christmas Carol and all things Victorian and Christmasy. In the fall, the International Folk Festival sets the tone for the 4th Friday celebrations not only at the Arts Council but all over downtown.

This month, showcasing our community’s young artists at the Art’s Council and in conjunction with the school system’s Arts Education Program, is the 11th Annual Cumberland County High School Juried Art Exhibition.

It opens at 7 p.m. and runs through 9 p.m. on Jan. 28, although the show will hang through Feb. 17.

The exhibit includes drawings, paintings, sculpture and mixed media artwork. Each entry will be judged by an art professional with recognition going to fi rst, second and third place along with honorable mentions. All students submitting artwork will receive a certifi cate of participation.

“We are in awe every year at the amazing work produced by our community’s tremendously talented high school students,” said Mary Kinny, marketing manager for the Arts Council Fayetteville/Cumberland County. “We really stress that this is not a ‘Come look at what these kids did’ kind of show. That is not the point of if it. These are students who are at the top of their class in terms of art and they’ve already been through a weeding out process in each of their schools to compete to be in this show. Then, this show is jured. It really is the best of the best in terms of our high school students who are artists.”

Not only is this show a treat for the public, allowing a peek into the hearts and minds of local young adults and future leaders, it also provides the students with an opportunity to learn and grow as artists. As supporters of the arts, the Arts Council is pleased to have the opportunity to make “it possible for students to learn the important skills of critical thinking, making connections, expressing diversity and solving problems creatively, which will serve them in all facets of life.”

Don’t forget to check out the other exhibits, demonstrations and performances downtown, too.

City Center Gallery & Books is hosting scrimshander Ken Baldwin. Scrimshaw art is the etching of pictures onto whale bone or teeth.

Headquarters Library, on Maiden Lane is featuring blues band The Piedmont Rhythm Aces. We’re talking down-home music complete with string/washboard, guitar, mandolin and a fi ddle backing up the vocals.

Speaking of old-fashioned and down home, the Fayetteville Area Transportation Museum has a 1917 Model TT Ford truck – set up for moonshining – in the museum’s annex, alongside other artifacts of transportation from days gone by.

An off-shoot of Fourth Friday, Arts Alive starts at 6 p.m. and runs through 10 p.m. Here you can see artists at work demonstrating their craft.

This month, says Kinny, Kevin Gregory will sell and demonstrate his paintings, which range from colorful depictions of baby dinosaurs to dark and macabre monsters and zombies. Glasswork artist Shannon Davis will use a gasfueled torch to melt solid rods and hollow tubes of glass into figurines and jewelry. Deborah Crandall will sell handcrafted jewelry while Greg Hathaway and Nancy Edge demonstrate raku fi ring. Performance artists also provide entertainment for the crowd.

Photo, top right: “Vagabond” by Terry Sanford High student Jasmin Nieves, got honorable mention in the drawing category during the 2010 Cumberland County High School Juried Art Show.

TRUE GRIT (Rated PG-13)      Five Stars

Interestingly, this might serve as the first Coen brothers’ movie that works as a straight piece (as opposed to an exploration of bizarre characters). So many of their other films seem to focus on the massive flaws of the leads that True Grit (110 minutes) stands out for a kinder, gentler depiction of the characters. 

Unlike the original, which started much slower, the remake collapses the intro to a short voiceover by Mattie Ross (Elizabeth Marvel) recounting the story of how Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) killed her father. The voiceover switches to a younger Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld, much less irritating than the 1969 version), who arrives to collect her father’s body. She spends the night in the morgue, and then sets out the next day to assert her Protestant ethic all over everybody. In the midst of dealing with the loose ends left by the death of her father, Mattie inquires about U.S. Marshals. When she hears that Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) is the meanest, she attempts to hire him.

Apparently, even in the old west it is considered rude to approach someone about a job when they are in the outhouse, and Rooster rebuffs her first attempt. Meanwhile, Texas Ranger La Boeuf (Matt Damon, also less irritating than the 1969 version) arrives looking for Chaney. He proposes that the three work together, since the Marshal knows the territory and he knows Chaney.

Mattie, Rooster, and la Boeuf have a difference of opinion over how best to pursue Chaney, and they set off in two separate parties. Mattie and Rooster set out. They find a hanged man being pecked by crows and a man dressed as a bear. This is not a dream sequence, and therefore it is highly amusing. They get information that sends them after Lucky Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper … and I know that Robert Duvall is old, but I bet he could have done a better job reprising his 1969 role than Barry Pepper. Because I don’t like Berry Pepper.) and his gang. They find a dugout cabin and plan an ambush to scoop up the gang, but their plans go afoul.

Now reunited with La Boeuf, the three ride on into the plains towards the mountains, and their best chance for catching Lucky Ned. Of course, it is past time to address the “Rooster drinks too much” subplot, and so the Marshal starts drinking heavily. After drinking heavily, he randomly fires his weapon at some corn biscuits, while a straight faced La Boeuf occasionally takes a shot himself at the corn biscuits in order to…? Well, I’m sure he was trying to make some kind of point.

Rooster continues to drink long in to the night, and finally calls off the whole expedition. Naturally, Mattie finds what she seeks the very next morning, meeting Chaney when she goes to get morning water. Some nifty horse riding and gun fighting follow some great confrontation scenes. The finale differs slightly from the 1969 version, with a return to adult Mattie Ross considering the history she shared with Rooster.

Hailee Steinfeld manages to capture the single-minded composure of Mattie Ross without alienating viewers by presenting herself as too precocious. Jeff Bridges does an acceptable job with his character arc, encapsulating the gruff peacemaker who manages to meet Mattie on her admittedly uncompromising terms perfectly.

It is a strength of the film that the action moves quickly without sacrificing the sincerity of the character development. Overall an excellent western that is also family friendly, if you can get past the random amputations and constant shooting.

The Fayetteville FireAntz have had a trying season thus far. They’ve battled injuries as well as a roster that has seen numerous changes. However, lately the team has taken great strides towards moving up in the standings and cementing themselves solidly in playoff position as they look to make another run for an SPHL Championship. This was evident in the FireAntz’s last two home games on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The FireAntz hosted the first place Huntsville Havoc at the Crown Coliseum both nights. It was a daunting task but the FireAntz proved to be up to the challenge.

Friday, Dec. 31, was the first of the two consecutive contests against the Huntsville Havoc. They had played just three days before and the Havoc won 2-1. The FireAntz got off to a great start on a power play goal by Rob Sich. They would extend their lead, by the half way point of the game, to 3-0 on goals by Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn and Chris Leveille, on a penalty shot. Huntsville, however, battled back and made the score 3-2 with three minutes remaining in the game. Leveille would cap his four-point night by scoring an empty-net goal, providing the FireAntz a much-needed 4-2 victory over the Havoc.

Saturday, Jan. 1, the FireAntz looked to gain a home sweep against Huntsville. The FireAntz again got off to a great start on the power play with Anthony Perdicaro giving the FireAntz a 1-0 lead going into the 1st intermission. The second period was full of fireworks as there were five goals, three by the FireAntz. Leading 4-2 entering the third period, the FireAntz received a scare when Huntsville narrowed the lead to 4-3 with 15 minutes still to play. But a power play goal by Jeff Borrows iced the game and the victory giving the FireAntz back-to-back home wins over the first place Havoc.

Goaltender Travis Yonkman was spectacular both nights as he turned away 92 of 97 shots faced.

Join in the excitement of FireAntz Hockey this weekend as they lace up the skates again for two home games Friday and Saturday nights at the Crown Coliseum. The pucks drop at 7:30 p.m. both nights.

Travis Yonkman makes a spectacular glove save!
Photo Courtesy: J. Shank