If you’re a man who cringes at the word “ball,” don’t worry... this is one ball you’re going to be more than happy to accompany your spouse or significant other to. The 3rd annual Blue Jean Ball and Chair-ity Auction is a fun, laid back family event that will keep you in good graces all year long.
    The Blue Jean Ball, which benefits The Child Advocacy Center, is slated for Saturday, Sept. 27, at Highland Country Club. And, the event is exactly what its name implies. To attend you don’t have to dress up or even wear a tie. Simply climb into your faded jeans — the more faded the better — grab your family and head over to the club for a night of food, music, dancing and art — lots of art.
    “All families are welcome,” said Sandy Ammons, a volunteer with The Child Advocacy Center. “This is the third year of The Blue Jean Ball. It has grown tremendously since last year, when we went from making $3,000 to $43,000.”
    Ammons said the community is already buzzing about the event. “What’s so great about this event is that you can do it with your children,” she said. “A lot of events are either geared toward children or they are geared toward adults. This is both. The children will have their own party with a deejay, dancing and food, and adults will have the same, as well as the auction.”
    The auction, like the event, is unique. It showcases chairs that are actually pieces of art.
    The number of artists participating in the event has more than doubled this year. In addition to the chairs, artists will also be offering paintings, clay pots, metal tubs and more. And the chairs will also be as eclectic. There will be the traditional straight-back chairs, Adirondack chairs, stools and much more.
    In addition to the more well-known artists in the community, there will also be some celebrity artists. Mayor Tony Chavonne as well as other members of the Fayetteville City Council will create works for the auction. County Commissioner Breeden Blackwell is contributing a different kind of art — a backyard barbecue grill.
    “As you can see, it has grown tremendously in a lot of different ways,” said Ammons.{mosimage}
    One thing that has not changed is the involvement of volunteers in the planning of the event. A group of 20 middle school children have been working furiously to plan the event. According to Ammons, they’ve decided everything from the food to be served to the invitations. They are also creating works of art for the auction. But more importantly, they are becoming advocates for abused children in our community. “They’ve learned how to reach out to those children in our community who have been abused,” said Ammons.
    The event is chaired by Ginny Breece and Martha Spires.
    Tickets for the event are $25 per youth and $50 per adult. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Child Advocacy Office at 486-9700 or by downloading a ticket request from the Web site at www.childadvocacycenter.com.

Janice Burton, Associate Publisher
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or
editor@upandcomingweekly.com

    The military has, for good or bad, changed the face of Cumberland County. From blending driving styles to music, the diverse group of people who call Cumberland County home makes our community unique. In celebration of that diversity the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County is sponsoring the 30th International Folk Festival.
    The event, which draws crowds to the streets to celebrate their heritage, is scheduled for Sept. 26-28. A big part of the event will be the September 4th Friday. In celebration of our community’s diversity, the Arts Council is asking: How does Unity in Our Community look from your perspective? Actually, how does it look through your lens?
    Share your photos through this juried photo competition at the Arts Council. Individuals may enter up to four photos with awards totaling $1,000. There are three separate categories for entries: black and white, color and digital/mixed-media. Winners will be announced on Sept. 26, with the photography remaining on display through Nov. 22.
    Photos may be submitted to the Arts Council, 301 Hay St., on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; and Saturday, Sept. 13, from noon to 4 p.m. Entry fees are $20 for up to two entries ($15 for Arts Council members) and $25 for up to four entries ($20 for Arts Council members.)
    The competition is open to residents in Cumberland, Bladen, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland counties as well as Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. Entries must be framed with wire attached to the back. Sawtooth, loop or tag hangers will not be accepted.
    Entries must be original and not previously entered into any Arts Council exhibitions. Photographers will be notified by email of the juror’s selection. Declined entries may be picked up on Sept. 18, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
    In addition to the photography show, there will be an outdoor concert in front of the Arts Council building featuring the Heritage Bluegrass Band.           
    For more information call (910) 323-1776, or download entry forms at www.theartscouncil.com.

Janice Burton,
Associate Publisher
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or
editor@upandcomingweekly.com

    The Fayetteville Museum of Art has been making a lot of headlines recently, but they’d rather people focus on their mission rather than the headlines. With that in mind, the museum is hosting a premier party on Friday, Sept. 12, for a new sculpture exhibit titled Sense of Place.
    Sense of Place features the sculptures of three East Carolina University professors: Carl Billingsley, Jodi Hollnagel and Hanna Jubran. The large-scale sculptures not only take up a great amount of space, they also require viewers to reinterpret their Sense of Place.
    Billingsley was born in Oklahoma and spent his formative years in a variety of locations as his father, a sergeant in the field artillery, was transferred from post to post. Three years in Germany made an indelible impression on Billingsley and he has returned to Europe as an adult many times. Billingsley teaches sculpture at the School of Art & Design, and has a very active exhibition schedule. Billingsley’s work can be found in collections and sculpture gardens from North Carolina to Wisconsin. He has permanent public sculptures in Norway, Israel, Estonia, Japan, China and Brazil.
    {mosimage}Billingsley’s recent works have focused on a renewed interest and exploration of color. “Having made numerous sculptures which were intended to maintain as direct a relationship to the process and material as possible and which were therefore not painted, I decided to change my focus from the material to the dynamic of color in the public realm,” said Billingsley in an artist statement. “I strive to utilize color as phenomenon and to bring the attention of the public to the many ways that color changes as the light changes and as the environment around the sculpture affects both the form and the color of the sculpture. Color is not a static, passive element in these sculptures.”
    Billingsley will be joined by his fellow instructors, who have something else in common. In addition to their art and academic pursuits, Jodi Hollnagel and Hanna Jubran are married. They own and operate J&H Studio Inc. Their lives are dedicated to art by teaching at East Carolina University, making and exhibiting their art and traveling around the world participating in international sculpture symposiums.
    Hollnagel has works on display both nationally and internationally. Some of her accomplishments include: a 22’ wing-spanned bronze eagle for the Jesse Helms Archive Center in Wingate; an 11’ bronze wildcat at Davidson College; a 12’ bronze Scotsman at Presbyterian College in South Carolina; a 13’ bronze Pirate at East Carolina University in Greenville; and a monument to a Century of Flight in Kitty Hawk. She is currently making a life-size bronze figure and bas-relief work for a Veteran’s Memorial in Asheville.
    Jubran’s work addresses the concepts of time, movement, balance and space. Each sculpture occupies and creates its own reality influenced by its immediate surroundings. The work does not rely on one media to evoke the intended response, but takes advantage of compatible materials such as wood, granite, steel, iron and bronze.
He received his M.F.A. in 1983 in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is currently a sculpture professor and sculpture area coordinator at ECU. One of his most recent commissions can be found on the campus of Fayetteville State University. It is a nine-segmented concrete sculpture and reaches 11 feet in height.
    While you visually take in the sculptures at the premier, you can also listen to the eclectic sounds of the Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers, a band based out of Chapel Hill. The band has become something of a fixture at the museum’s openings, and will delight you with its delicate blend of acoustic guitar, keyboards and electronic mixing. Folksy and introspective, the band is in perfect compliment to the museum’s evening.
    The opening party begins at 6 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged and, according to museum officials, they are “happily accepted.”

Janice Burton, Associate Publisher
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or
editor@upandcomingweekly.com

    Do you know what Esse Quam Videri means? Can you recite the state toast? And what’s so important about the Longleaf Pine? If you know the answers to those questions, you might be just who the Cape Fear Historical Complex is looking for.
    {mosimage}On Thursday, Sept. 25, The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex will sponsor the first annual North Carolina Quiz Bowl. The event designed to test your knowledge of North Carolina history will be held in the museum’s multipurpose room.
    “In the past the museum has done a Civil War Quiz Bowl which has been very popular,” said Catherine Beach, the curator of research for the museum. “There are a number of contestants, as well as their supporters, who participate in the event.”
    Beach explained that while the Civil War Quiz Bowl focuses solely on the Civil War, this event will focus on North Carolina history and trivia. She noted that many people may not think of trivia — like what is the state dog — as history, but she maintains it is. She explained it tells a story about our state and its people.
    “Somebody with a good knowledge of North Carolina history would be the ideal contestant,” she noted. “We want to get them excited and to test their knowledge. With the Civil War Quiz Bowl, we have had high school students who have been very sharp and accurate and who have done very well in the quiz bowl.”
    She added that if your knowledge of our state’s past isn’t up to par, you can come and cheer on the contestants and pick up some interesting knowledge along the way. “A lot of people watch Jeopardy just for the knowledge they get from the questions,” she said.
    The event, which begins at 7 p.m., is free for all contestants and spectators, and all ages are welcome to participate.
    The North Carolina Quiz Bowl is limited to 20 participants. If you are interested in participating, call at (910) 486-1330 to pre-register. Registration is also available at the door and will continue until all 20 slots are filled.
    Categories for the North Carolina Quiz Bowl will include Civil War history, sports, higher education and more. Prizes will be awarded to the top contestants. This event promises to be a family-friendly, educational evening about North Carolina history. For more information or to register, call Jim Brisson at (910) 486-1330.

    September is a big month for fashion and beauty magazines — literally.
    These editions are whoppers, packed with page after page of carefully designed and often provocative advertisements for the latest in fashion and beauty. Sometimes it is not altogether clear just what product is being advertised, but the images are invariably striking. Tucked among all this fashion and beauty commerce are photographs of fall fashions. The fabrics are rich and luxurious, sometimes even exotic, such as reptile skins and bird feathers. Sometimes prices are noted, often in the range of a house payment. If the cost is truly stratospheric, the copy will discreetly note, “Price available upon request.”
    Some of the magazines actually have a bit of editorial content as well.
    After a recent airplane trip involving both layovers and a rental car, I wound up with an armful of September issues, five in all. Just for fun, I plopped them all on the Dicksons’ bathroom scale. They weighed in at a collective and impressive 10.7 pounds. My first thoughts when I saw that number were how many trees died for fashion and how thankful I am that none of the three junior Dicksons weighed that much upon arrival!
    {mosimage}Vogue is the venerable grand dame of fashion mags. The September issue’s cover boasts about its “798 pages of brilliant fall fashion” including “73 wildly romantic dresses for evening, 92 statement-making accessories, 76 clean, lean looks for day,” many draped over the perfect and willowy bodies of either impossibly beautiful or arresting young women, some teenagers. I would be satisfied myself to simply look clean, and, especially, lean every day, but that is a different issue. Inside, you can read about lace dresses, yoga studios in big cities but not in Fayetteville, and the cover story features actress Keira Knightly in many different outfits that are so expensive no prices are listed. There is, however, a strange pair of two-piece, lace-up boots with stiletto heels which will set you back $1,800 plus tax. Editorial contents include a profile of actor Warren Beatty and an interview with author Candace Bushnell of Sex in the City fame. 
    InStyle is the next fattest magazine in my September collection, with 486 pages and actress Uma Thurman on the cover. Few models here, though. Instead the women in gorgeous clothes — most far more wearable than those in Vogue — are movie stars and other entertainers whose wardrobes seem to consist mainly of, as we say in the South, “dress up” and evening clothes. I have heard of some of these young women and have even seen a few of their movies, but others have escaped me entirely. Minka Kelly? Emmanuelle Chriqui? Cassie? Ginnifer Goodwin? In Style has a handy little section about how to put different items of clothing together to wear for different occasions and times of day, but since I doubt many of us have all the pieces needed to complete a “look,” we might find that section a tad frustrating. I was put off by the pocketbooks, albeit good-looking ones, for $1,990 and $2,450 respectively, but I felt better when I found a section called “Deals and Steals” in which most of the items were under $150, something a mother who shopped for a family of five for years finds most appealing. I was unable to find any editorial content not dealing with some aspect of beauty or fashion. 
    More is aimed at women like me — mature. The cover girl is actress Felicity Huffman, 45, and no one featured seems to be under 40. I read about the perfect little black dress, or LBD, and most of the beauty tips, both commercial and otherwise, tend toward anti-aging. It does not have the impressive advertising pages of Vogue and InStyle but does have editorial content clearly geared toward, well, moi. I was engaged by an article on the woman founder of Gymboree, whose business and personal life fell apart, and who at 61, now owns yoga studios. Then there is a piece entitled, “Are Younger Women Trying to Trash Feminism?”, which I plan to read soon. There are even a few recipes and eating tips for those of us in the over 40 set.
    And, finally, one more from my fashion mag stack: Lucky, a 382-page entry into the crowded fashion magazine field I had not encountered, is perhaps the most straightforward. It makes no claims to be anything but what it is: “The magazine about shopping and style.” There are plenty of photos of clothes and accessories and tips on what to wear with what. It is blatantly about consuming, with one feature entitled “what I want NOW!” including a “truly versatile little dress with intriguing sculptured tiers” and some purple satin high heels at a mere $550. 
I come from a family business background, and I like clothes and the rest as much as any other woman. But some of this worshiping at the altar of fashion and beauty is a bit over the top.
    Please tell me I don’t sound like Andy Rooney.

Margaret Dickson,
State Representative and Contributing Writer
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or
To reach her directly, call 919-733-5776 or email MARGARETD@NCLEG.NET

    The Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center and the Lafayette Society are sponsoring a lecture and book signing at the Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane, on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. for historian Alan R. Hoffman.
    Hoffman’s translation of Auguste Levasseur’s Lafayette In America In 1824-1825 was published in 2006.     The book is the first complete translation into English of the detailed journal kept by the Marquis de Lafayette’s private secretary during Lafayette’s Grand Tour of the United States on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.{mosimage}
    The program will begin with a showing of Vive Lafayette, a short documentary on Fayetteville’s celebration of Lafayette’s 250th birthday in 2007. Copies of Lafayette In America In 1824-1825 will be available for purchase.
    This program is one of many events planned for Sept. 4-6 as part of the Lafayette Society’s annual celebration of Lafayette’s birthday. For a listing of all events, or to learn more about Lafayette, visit www.lafayette250.com.
    Hoffman, a trial attorney in Boston, received his undergraduate degree in history at Yale and graduated from the Harvard School of Law. He spent three years translating Levasseur’s journal from a copy he discovered in a bookstore in Cambridge.
    Lafayette first came from France to America as a 19-year-old nobleman to fight in the Revolutionary War against England. His heroics at Brandywine and Yorktown, coupled with his fervent support of equal rights for all men after he returned to France, later earned him the title “Hero of Two Worlds.” Invited by President James Monroe in 1824 to visit the country he helped to found, Lafayette was greeted by enthusiastic crowds and elaborate receptions everywhere he went.
    Levasseur was a young French officer who had participated in a conspiracy against the Bourbon monarchy in the early 1820s. His journal not only traces Lafayette’s year-long tour of America, but also provides eyewitness accounts of intimate visits with presidents Monroe, John Adams, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.
    Hoffman will highlight the portions of Levasseur’s journal describing Lafayette’s reception in towns in North and South Carolina, including Murfreesboro, Camden, and Fayetteville — the first American city named for Lafayette and the only namesake city he actually visited.
    The book shows how Lafayette, long an outspoken critic of slavery and advocate for its abolition, attempts to address the issue during his tour. Levasseur includes information enthusiastically gathered regarding the history, climate, commerce, and other characteristics of the states and cities they visited. Through the eyes of Levasseur, the reader in 2008 has a remarkably clear vision of life in America in the early 1800s.
    Levasseur’s journal reveals aspects of Lafayette’s character that help explain his popularity in America at that time. As Hoffman notes, “Lafayette had star quality. He was self-effacing, charming and charismatic. For a man who was raised as a member of the nobility, he definitely had the common touch.” In his introduction, Hoffman says, “I hope that by spreading the story of Lafayette on his farewell tour — as well as the Revolution as told in Levasseur’s flashbacks — this book will help to highlight his unique place in American history.”

Tim Wilkins, Associate Editor
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 105 or tim@upandcomingweekly.com

   Death Race 2000 (Rated R) Rated: 4 stars

    The original Death Race 2000 was an exploitative Roger Corman classic, featuring a very young Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine. Death Race (89 minutes) the remake, helmed by Paul W.S. Anderson of Event Horizon fame, is a fun B-movie that highlights all the violence and explosions of the first movie, without the campy over-the-top theme costumes. In a clever nod to the source material, an uncredited David Carradine does the voiceover work for the character he played in the 1975 version, Frankenstein. Much like The Running Man and Series 7: The Contenders, Death Race extends the modern trend of reality television to its most extreme form; a reality show in which the death of the participants is the highlight of the show. 
    {mosimage}The film begins in a future United States suffering from a complete economic breakdown. Prisons have become privatized and inmates compete against each other in car races for the chance at release papers. Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson) is fighting it out with Frankenstein (voiced by Carradine) when something goes wrong, and Frankenstein’s navigator (Natalie Martinez) ejects while Frankenstein’s car flips and explodes. Meanwhile, Jensen Ames (Jason Statham), an out-of-work steel worker, is sentenced to the Terminal Island prison for a crime he did not commit. Once there, the warden of Terminal Island, Hennessy (Joan Allen), convinces Ames to participate in the Race. When he agrees, he is provided with a pit crew, including Coach (Ian McShane!  He’s punk rock!) and Gunner (Jacob Vargas). In stage one of the race, several drivers are killed and the ratings skyrocket. In stage two of the race, Jenson takes the initiative, challenging the rules of the game. Finally, in stage three of the race, he must make the choice to play the game and reap the reward or challenge the system and risk everything. 
    Not much from the original made it into the remake. First, as in the original, the “death race” is televised. Second, the murderous drivers are paired up with scantily clad navigators. Also similar to the 1975 original, the contestants’ personas are distilled to nicknames, such as Machine Gun Joe. While there is a shady authority figure, it is not the president. Instead, the remake introduces the character of Hennessey to play the evilly-motivated antagonist to Statham’s hero. Allen, as the warden of the prison colony Terminal Island, seems to channel a combination of Hilary Clinton and President Roslin from Battlestar Galactica. She will shoot (or airlock) first and ask questions later. Fans of the original should be reassured by the references to the original, but those who missed the first version will not find it difficult to figure out what is going on. 
    No, this film will not go down in history as the greatest movie ever made. But, it certainly is a fun little remake, heavy on the fiery explosions, bloody decapitations, and crunching metal. There is even some social commentary. The soundtrack is a good mood setter, the eye candy abounds, and the acting is amazingly sincere. This is an action film that rises above the rest because of the overall quality of its lead actors.   

   A Tutor Navigates High Society in Privileged

    In Privileged(Tuesday, 9 p.m., CW), a literary type named Megan (JoAnna Garcia) gets a job tutoring two spoiled heiresses in Palm Beach. At first glance, Megan looks like a standard character in a standard 14-to-29-demo drama: the neurotic jabbermouth beauty. But there’s more to her than that, and more to Privileged, too. The series offers Gossip Girl-style fun, with just enough substance to make it more than a guilty pleasure.{mosimage}
    Megan is delightfully quirky, and her charges can be delightfully bitchy. “It’s gonna be super-fun,” one of them tells Megan sarcastically, just before making her life a living hell. The pilot is chock-full of such snark, along with enough bonding and betrayal, sexy swimwear and sincere speeches to give the 90210 area code a run for its money.
    Privileged is gonna be super-fun.

KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
Thursday, 8 p.m. (Fox)
    In last season’s Kitchen Nightmares, mean British chef Gordon Ramsay vented his ire on struggling restaurants around the U.S. “Your food is crap,” he sneered at tearful owners. He screamed at the chefs, cursed at the waiters and, as a grand finale, made a show of vomiting.
    It was, I have to admit, an entertaining act. A year later, Ramsay returns to the restaurants to see how they’re doing. Some have improved greatly — a triumph for them, a tragedy for us. Because a happy Ramsay is a boring Ramsay. He hugs the newly successful owners, compliments the chefs and even asks for recipes. “I owe it all to Chef Ramsay,” one owner says in a segment that’s about as compelling as a Hallmark card.
    Please, bring back the vomit.

SAMURAI GIRL
Friday-Sunday, 8 p.m. (ABC Family)
    A Japanese girl named Heaven (Jamie Chung) has been raised in seclusion by her wealthy Tokyo family. She goes to San Francisco for an arranged marriage, but samurai warriors crash the ceremony and kill her brother. Heaven goes on the run, trains as a samurai and embarks on a quest to learn her family’s secrets, all while wielding a sword called Whisper of Death.
Obviously we’re not in a realistic universe, but Samurai Girl gives artifice a bad name. Though Japanese, Heaven speaks with a suburban mall-rat accent. She takes time out from eluding assassins to giggle about cute boys. She doesn’t talk so much as disgorge large chunks of exposition. She conveys about as much mystery and allure as a bowl of lukewarm miso soup.
Now that you mention it, that’d be a more appropriate name for her samurai sword: Whisper of Lukewarm Miso Soup.

FRINGE
Tuesday, 8 p.m. (Fox)
    This new series is about government agents investigating fringe phenomena, and it has a scary-cool opening scene. Airline passengers experience strange symptoms en masse, their skin melting and their jaws falling off.
    But Fringe quickly goes from scary-cool to silly-foolish. One of the agents is infected himself, and his beautiful partner-lover has a brilliant (read: stupid) idea for saving him. She springs a mad scientist from the loony bin and agrees to let him insert a probe into her skull so she can enter her beloved’s memory and “see” the villain who spread the infection.
    For some reason, this requires her to be immersed in fluid in her bra and panties.

    If you’ve ever met Patricia Fields, you know she is an optimist. On a recent Wednesday morning, when the rest of the community was covered in rain, Fields’ outlook was sunny, and grew only more so as she talked about the upcoming season at the Givens Performing Arts Center.
    “This has got to be one of the best seasons we’ve ever had — it’s definitely one of the most diverse,” she said.
Fields knows what she’s talking about. The 2008-2009 season at the center has a little bit of something for everyone. “We have everything from Broadway to ballet, from puppets to football players,” she said. “We are really doing great things this season.”
    At the top of the list of things Fields wants to talk about is the Broadway and More series. This year the series will bring eight phenomenal shows to the stage.
    “We are very fortunate to do things that are kind of on the curve of what’s happening in the main stream,” said Fields. “Last year we did Hairspray, right on the heels of the movie, and introduced a whole new generation to live theatre. They saw the movie and then decided it would be a good idea to see the play. We’re doing that again this year with Sweeny Todd. I have had several ladies whose husbands have seen the movie, but would never have thought about coming to the theatre, say they want to come see it on stage.”
    The Broadway and More series kicks-off in October with the classic Oliver! on Friday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. But that’s just the beginning:
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The 30th Anniversary Tour of the Fats Waller Broadway Musical starring 2003 American Idol Winner Ruben Studdard and his Idol Cast mate, Frenchie Davis. The outrageously prodigious comic and musical soul of 1930s Harlem lives on in this rollicking, swinging, finger-snapping revue that is still considered one of Broadway’s best well-crafted revues of all time.

The Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
    Founded in the mid 1800’s, The Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra, together with the Royal Irish Academy of Music, represented the pillars of Irish classical music life at a time when Dublin, after London, was considered the most vibrant and distinctive city in the British Isles. 

Sweeney Todd
Friday, February 6, 2009
    This triumphant new cutting-edge production of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway tour de force will take your breath away. The 2006 winner of two Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards has stunned theater goers as never before. The legendary demon barber, hell-bent on revenge, takes up with his enterprising neighbor in a delicious plot to slice their way through England’s upper crust…literally! Justice will be served-along with lush melody, audacious humor and oh yes, there will be blood!

Sleeping Beauty: The Russian National Ballet Theatre
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
    The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in 1989 when legendary principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet Sergei Radchenko sought to realize his vision of a company which would bring together the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies in an independent new company within the framework of Russian classic ballet. 

To Kill a Mockingbird
    Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, now celebrating the 50th anniversary of its publication, was brought to the screen in an Academy Award-winning adaptation by Horton Foote in 1962 and was later adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel. Though over 35 years old, this stage adaptation continues to compel and delight viewers worldwide with its warmth, wit, and wisdom. 

Movin’ Out
Monday, April 27, 2009
    Five-time Grammy winner Billy Joel and legendary director/choreographer Twyla Tharp have joined forces to create this spectacular musical.  Winner of two 2003 Tony Awards, Movin’ Out brings Billy Joel’s classic hits to electrifying new life as it tells the story of five life-long friends over two turbulent decades.  It all adds up to one unforgettable Broadway musical.

    The floor of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina is full of pallets of bottled drinking water. Unfortunately, the shelves are nearly empty of the one commodity the facility on Deep Creek Road needs the most: food.
    David Griffin, the food bank director, says the demand by hungry folks seeking emergency supplies of food has increased 59 percent over the past two years — a hike he lays squarely on the shoulders of a faltering economy and high gas prices.
    “Those factors have made it tough,” said Griffin as he surveyed the warehouse’s empty pallets and the bare freezers of a facility that serves seven counties. “In addition, our seven counties are mostly rural and they’ve lost a lot of jobs, especially in Robeson County. A lot of people just can’t make it with the increasing cost of food.”
    {mosimage}Griffin says that the ever increasing poverty rate contributes mightily to this perfect storm of hunger. He adds that Cumberland County alone has 51,000 folks listed as subsisting below the federally mandated poverty line — many of them children.
    “It’s heartbreaking to see someone with small children needing food,” said Griffin. “It really takes something out of your heart. People don’t just ask for food unless they really need it.
    “As long as I am director here, I will make sure people have plenty of food,” said Griffin. “But we need help.”
    That help is on the way in the form of the 2008 Cumberland County CROP Hunger Walk. The event — scheduled for Oct. 19 — is sponsored by Church World Service and has taken place off and on since 1980, with county residents soliciting sponsors to fund their walk for the hungry and provide money that is distributed locally and nationally — 25 percent of that money goes to the food bank.
    Michele Bedsole, the crop walk’s coordinator, said the 10K walk — which had more than 325 participants last year — raised $16,000 in 2007; however, she says this year’s walk is seeking a 59 percent increase in money raised — the exact amount the food bank says requests for food have increased.
    “We’re still looking for participants and sponsors,” said Bedsole. “So far, Methodist University, Fayetteville State University and Fayetteville Technical Community College have agreed to participate, as has Cape Fear High School. The more people and sponsors we get, the more money we raise for the food bank.”
    The walk has 2-mile and 6.2-mile options and will begin at 3 p.m. at Haymount United Methodist Church. Some runners will compete, but they will start before the walkers. 
    Bedsole says the walk is mostly symbolic, with participation by families pushing strollers and even senior citizens.
    “We had one lady who was 84 walk last year,” said Bedsole.
    Griffin says he is appreciative of any help the crop walk can provide the food bank.
    Even though the food bank, which is part of the Cumberland County Action Committee, Inc., is helped out by a long list of sponsors such as Food Lion, the Campbell Soup Company, Wal-Mart, Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Sam’s Club, more help is needed.
    “The demand continues to rise,” said Griffin.
    Griffin says the food bank generally provides food through the various organizations that identify families in need, though anyone showing up at the facility on 406 Deep Creek Road needing food will not be turned down. For more information on the food bank or to donate, call 485-8809.
    If you would like to participate in the crop walk or make a donation through that organization, check out the Web site at www.crophungerwalk.org. You can also call Bedsole at 484-6896 or contact the Rev. Laura Lupton at laura@techtutors.org.

Tim Wilkins, Associate Editor
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 105 or tim@upandcomingweekly.com

    {mosimage}

    Gyros. The Olympics. Jennifer Aniston.
    That’s pretty much the extent of most Americans’ knowledge of Greek tradition and heritage. However, from Sept. 12-14, area residents will have the opportunity to learn about all things Greek as the 18th Annual Greek Festival is held in Fayetteville.
    The festival — hosted by Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church — will feature live bands, traditional Greek dance, vendors, arts and crafts and Greek foods and desserts. The Cumberland County Library van will also be there registering children for library cards — so they can check out books on Greece — and the Fayetteville Fire Department will have trucks on hand for kids to scramble on and into, as well as giving the kiddies a chance to aim a fire hose at a simulated fire wall; additionally, children will be treated to a trackless train, two large bouncers, two large inflatable slides and assorted games and activities. For the adults, there will be appearances by Mayor Tony Chavonne; beauty queens from the Dogwood Festival and Miss North Carolina; three Greek dance troupes from Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church; Greek vendors providing religious and cultural jewelry, antiquities and art; and, there will also be a raffle, with the winner receiving two round trip tickets to Athens, Greece.
    Speaking of the “old country,” Athena Sarantoulias came to Fayetteville 39 years ago, and for years operated the old Monticello Restaurant on Gillespie Street with her husband, George.
    The restaurant was a downtown landmark and favorite hangout of judges and lawyers who worked at the nearby Cumberland County Courthouse. These judicial officials helped Sarantoulias learn English, while a thriving Greek community welcomed her with open arms and fresh bacalava — despite her geographic origins.
    “I am from the southern part of Greece and was welcomed by many from the rival northern part of Greece,” said Sarantoulias. “This was really a big deal.
    “The American people welcomed me the second day I came to Fayetteville,” said Sarantoulias. “They supported me, and my husband, all the years we operated the restaurant.”
    Sarantoulias has helped repay the kindness of strangers by helping bake pastries for the Greek Festival. She is part of a team that will bake about 60 trays of Greek desserts such as bacalava, finiki and koulakia for the 10,000 or so hungry festival goers expected to show up for the weekend.
    Litsa Derosa, secretary at Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, said the pastries will be baked at the adjacent Hellenic Center. She also says that some Americans have a hard time wrapping their taste buds around the sweet treats.
    “Especially bacalava,” said Derosa, who came to Fayetteville from northern Greece 14 years ago following her husband, who is now retired from the military. “It has syrup and most are surprised at just how sweet it is. It’s not what they expected.”
    However, Derosa adds that most novice tasters love the taste of finiki and koulakia — Greek versions of cookies.
    In addition to Greek desserts, there will be plenty of other Greek specialities, including shish kabobs and gyros.
    “There will be a lot of lamb,” said Derosa. “If you haven’t had Greek food before you are in for a real treat.”
    But there will be so much more than great Greek food. Musical tastes of all genres will be sated by the Greek band Zephyros from Baltimore. Derosa is particularly excited about the performance by Zephyros, which performed at last year’s festival to much acclaim.
    “They are so popular that we had to book them for this year’s festival immediately after last year’s festival,” said Derosa. “They are more than just music — the emcee tells Greek stories and explains each song. Everybody likes them — Greeks and Americans.”
    This blending of Greek and American is the very heartbeat of the festival. While the approximately 150 Greek-American families that live in Fayetteville are as American as Freedom Fries and apple pie, they still want to honor their heritage.
    “It (the festival) means everything to me,” said retired Father Chrysostom Manuel of Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. “It is my very entity, my culture... music wise, art wise. For those of us who were born there, it reminds us of the old country.”
    Sarantoulias, who sold 1,000 tickets to the event this year — the most by any individual — puts it even more succinctly.
    “I love America,” said Sarantoulias, “but I also still love Greece.”
    The Greek Festival is a major fundraiser for Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, located at 614 Oakridge Ave. — the other major fundraiser being the church’s famous spaghetti dinner which will be held on Nov. 19, also at the church. The festival will be held at Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church during the following hours: Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.

Tim Wilkins, Associate Editor
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 105 or tim@upandcomingweekly.com