There are some who would argue that bikers are scary. Their view of motorcycle riders involve visions of violent biker gangs out looking for trouble, not the many groups of riders who raise funds for the less for-tunate or the groups like the Patriot Guard Riders who honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country.

On Saturday, July 16, in an annual show of compassion that has be-come an event that many look forward to with great anticipation, Victory of Fayetteville is hosting the 9th Annual Christmas in July Toy Run.

As in years past, each rider is asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy in addition to the $15 entry fee. Passengers are welcome and it costs $10 for them to participate.

The event actually starts the night before the ride, on July 15. From 6-8 p.m. riders gather at Legends Pub on Bragg Boulevard, catch a bite to eat, listen to the live entertainment and preregister for the ride. Legends owner Holly Whitney has been a supporter of the event since its inception and looks forward to hosting the pre-ride registration party each year.

On the morning of the 16th, riders meet up at M&M Leather on Bragg Boulevard. Technically registration starts at 8 a.m., but event coordinator William Winford says that folks start registering right after set up is done, around 6:30 a.m.

The ride starts promptly at 8 a.m. and lasts two hours to the minute accord-ing to Winford and ends at Duke Children’s Hospital, which is where the fun really begins. The event is designed to support the children and families of Duke Children’s Hospital in conjunction with the Children’s Miracle Network.

“Once we get to the parking garage at the facility, Texas Roadhouse has al-ready been up there for a few hours and has prepared a meal for us — right in the parking garage,” said Winford. From the garage, the riders travel by foot to the hospital complex foyer. “Once we get to the complex, we form a human chain from inside the hospital foyer to the parking lot. The gifts are transferred by hand, from person to person, so people actually get to see and feel their toy being donated to the hospital.”

Unfortunately, due to the nature of some of the children’s illnesses, it is not possible to deliver the gifts directly to kids. That must be left to the hospital staff. The generosity does not end with the toys though. Each year the Wal-Mart Foundation writes a check to the Children’s Miracle Network matching the monetary value of gifts and dona-tions raised by the Christmas in July Toy Run participants and sponsors. The Children’s Network then donates the matching contribution to Duke Children’s Hospital. Over the past 8 years, more than $98,000 has been donated in conjunction with this event.

After the presentation of toys and funds to the Duke Children’s Hospital, everyone departs and comes back to M&M Leather for music and food.

The entire ride is escorted by law enforcement, from Fayetteville to the Duke Children’s Hospital parking lot. While each jurisdiction provides law enforcement along the way, Cumberland County sends escorts along for the entire ride as a contribution to the cause, since the motorcade can be as long as ¾ of a mile some years.

As one of the original riders, Winford has a deep commitment to Christmas in July.

“Certain things just get into your blood. This is how Christmas in July is to me,” said Winford. “We have actually had riders on this event who were Duke children themselves, or whose children were Duke children. It is a very emotional and significant event for them. It runs deep and has real purpose and meaning. It hits people individually and it really hits this community.”

Winford recognizes that an event like this has no success without the support of the community. And like it does in so many countless other ways, the local citizens and businesses have stepped up year after year to do what is right and to help their fellow man … and children.

Call 426-5082 to find out how you can help.

Photo: On July 16, in an annual show of compassion that has become an event that many look forward to with great anticipation, Victory of Fayetteville is hosting the 9th Annual Christmas in July Toy Run.

Bad Teacher (Rated R)  2 Stars

From an objective standpoint, Bad Teacher (92 minutes) should have been super funny. The pedigree promises inappro-priate jokes that make the audience laugh despite themselves. Screenwriters Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg have done some very funny episodes of The Office, and Director Jake Kasdan did an amazing job with 2007’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Too bad the concept fails horribly.

Much like lead Diaz’s other attempts to play nasty (Very Bad Things, The Sweetest Thing), Bad Teacher falls completely flat, primarily because there is never any depth to her nastiness. She is not particularly funny as a “bad” teacher, mostly because she re-ally isn’t that much of a bad teacher. I mean, she’s no Mr. Chips, but she is more apathetic than bad. You could call her a “bad per-son,” but there isn’t a whole lot there to distinguish her badness from the badness of any other character in the film. And honestly, when you come right down to it, when you put together a movie of this kind you need to push the envelope to get the laughs, and this is all very standardized.

And her nemesis, Lucy Punch, is pretty in a quirky way, but plays Ms. Squirrel as very passive aggressive. The film as a whole would have been far more satisfying if the two female leads had gotten a bit more physical. If you’re going for gross-out humor, you have to mean it. There should have been punch-ing, poo flinging, full frontal exposure ala Waiting... and instead, we get a faceful of poison ivy and inappropriate displays of adolescent sexuality.

The major problem seems to be that neither the film, nor the actors, knows what is supposed to be going on. Is the film funny because everyone is so hate-ful? Is the film funny because teenagers are clueless and the bad teacher tells them how stupid they are? Is the film funny because the bad teacher embezzles (but only a little bit) and steals an exam (which emphasizes memorization and rote learning rather than true understanding or creative thought)?

Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) plans to marry rich and wrap up her career as a teacher. One wonders how she became a teacher in the first place, since you generally need to pass a certain number of teaching reviews and competency exams, but whatever. One might also wonder how she managed to convince her fiancée to get engaged in the first place, since the moment his mom steps in her plans are blown, because she is in no way sincere. But then, the fiancée is as dumb as a box of hammers, so mystery solved. In fact, all the men in the movie are as dumb as a box of hammers.

Principle Wally Snur (John Michael Higgens) has a bizarre dolphin fetish and fails to call Ms. Halsey on any of her be-havior. Substitute teacher Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) is a milquetoast who is supposedly in love with one teacher, but ends up in bed with Ms. Halsey for no obvious reason. Of course, that lack of on-screen chemistry might be related to the fact that they are real life exes. State Testing Dude Carl Halabi (Thomas Lennon) is dumb enough to get tricked by an Annie wig, drugged, and blackmailed … and I am not buying that he was in any way interested in her to begin with. And let’s not even mention the gym teacher! As a romantic lead, Jason Segel is just starting to move past picking up the roles that Seth Rogen rejects as too schmoopy … but his interest in this chick is never adequately explained. He doesn’t get enough screen time to flesh out the relationship, and he doesn’t come off as the type to pursue someone so clearly dysfunctional.

Mostly, the film moves from sketch to sketch to illustrate that Elizabeth is a bad teacher long after the audience has got-ten the message. Yes, some of the jokes work. Too bad most of them don’t.

This is the first season for Fayetteville After 5 under new management. Starting with the May 19 concert that featured The Tams, the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival has been at the helm. With all the other community events that the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival puts on — the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, Historic Hauntings, New Year’s Eve Party in the Park and the Miss Fayetteville Dogwood Festival Pagaent — it is no surprise that the transition has been painless for concert attendees. Carrie King and her staff know how to host a great party.

On Thursday, July 21, The Embers will perform at Festival Park. This marks the third of five concerts for this season of Fayetteville After 5. Local favorites, The Tams opened the season in May and were followed by Café’ Mars in June. The August concert will feature another local favorite, Suicide Blonde on Aug. 18. The concert series will conclude with The Band of Oz performing on Sept. 15.

No strangers to the music scene, The Embers have been performing to-gether for decades. In fact, their website, www.theembersband.net, points out that “After 17 albums, numerous single releases, The Embers are one of the most popular bands as well as one of the most active groups in the country. The Embers boast an average of 300 dates per year all ranging from Toronto to Florida, and westward to California and Hawaii.”

The album Beach Music, Super Collaboration, which featured The Embers, among other internationally known recording artists, received international critical acclaim. It not only “evoked the best of memories and emotions for anyone who has been touched by the magic of beach music,” according to www.theembers.net. It also “introduced newcomers to the same passion that has made these enchanting melodies one of the greatest music phenomena of all time.”

Their latest album The Show Must Go On featured the single “The Last Time I’m Saying Goodbye” which debuted at number four in the UK’s Soulwalking charts.

In addition to the great music, Fayetteville After 5 is a great way to relax with friends and family and take a break from the worries of the work week. Enjoy a corn-hole tournament, participate in the 50/50 raffle and the prizes and giveaways. Like always, there will be food and beverage vendors (no out-side food or beverages are allowed within the park), and plenty of space on the promenade to get up and dance.

The gates open at five. Attendees can look forward to hearing a perfor-mance by local talent before the headliners perform around 7 p.m. The event is free and takes place downtown at Festival Park, so bring a blanket or a lawn chair to enjoy the show. Find out more at www.faydog-woodfestival.com.

Photo: The Embers are set to entertain at Fayetteville After 5 on July 21.

“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and it’s best hope for the future,” said John F. Kennedy; but in a world rife with issues and conflict, the future doesn’t always seem promising. On Friday, July 29, T. Pinckney and Associates is presenting the Teen Explosion Conference in order to prepare today’s students for the best fu-ture possible.

The institute is partnering with businesses in the Sandhills region of North Carolina to sponsor an annual end-of-summer culminating event that encourages teenagers to plan for a successful school year and apply themselves at their high-est capacity upon returning to school,” their website explains.

Mind OVER Matter Youth Development Institute was es-tablished in 1997, and is the organization that is partner-ing with local businesses, such as Kidsville News!, Kaplan, Inc., Pinckney & Associates and Up & Coming Weekly, to present the Teen Explosion Conference.

Mind OVER Matter Youth Development Institute provides organiza-tional consulting for many different nonprofit organizations. “An organiza-tion with capacity is like a tree with good roots. We help your organization grow healthy roots!”

The self-proclaimed primary goal of this organization is to support youth with skills that they need to be successful, by emphasizing the value of self, interactions with others and the impact this has on social and aca-demic development. It specifically services youth ages 11-19, or grades six through their freshman year in college. Mind OVER Matter Youth Development Institute is a nonprofit, and specializes in organizational de-velopment, program evaluation, staff training, strategic planning, and youth program development and monitoring services.

Dr. Teresa Thompson-Pinckney, the founder of the Back-to-School Teen Explosion Conference, explains the day as, “ a day for the business community to support our teenagers in an environment that makes the daily rigor of going to school relevant to our future generation of employees. When many teens graduate from high school, according to the private and public sector, our young people do not have the skills needed to succeed at work. This conference offers teens an authentic experience to learn strate-gies for school success, understand how to prepare for college and an op-portunity to interact with business and community leaders.”

Some highlights of the conference include a presentation on effective testing strategies sponsored by Kaplan as well as presentations on the importance managing finances and preparing for college with a 10-year plan.

The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Hotel Bordeaux & Conference Center.

It is open for all who wish to participate ages 13 through 18. Registration begins at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Teresa Thompson-Pinckney at 486-4084. Breakfast and lunch are provided for participants.

Photo: On Friday, July 29, T. Pinckney and Associates is presenting the Teen Explosion Conference in order to prepare today’s students for the best future possible.

The Green Lantern  (Rated PG-13)  Three Stars

Green Lantern(105 minutes) is a film for the adolescent boy in us all. What’s more, the characters and the actors portray-ing them are very much aware of this fact. The acting is wooden, the dialogue exposi-tory and forced, the plot overly complicated. All in all, it’s not the worst comic-book movie of the last 10 years (I assume no list is necessary, but if you want perspective compare it to X-Men: Last Stand. There. Now don’t you feel much better about The Green Lantern?), but it is far from the best.

The film respects the comic book my-thology, even if I don’t. There were rumors that the filmmakers were experimenting with a comic twist on the story and were in talks with Jack Black (!) to star as Hal Jordan, and it’s a good thing they went with a more straightforward version. Director Martin Campbell didn’t do a terrible job, it is more that he didn’t do an amazing job, so the film comes off as very middle of the road forgettable. This is exactly the kind of generic super-hero film that makes just enough money so everyone involved can tell themselves they did a good job, and then move on to their next project.

Millions of years ago, the Guardians of the Universe used the green essence of will power to create power rings that could manifest anything the wearer thought of, in a sort of intergalactic version of The Secret. Wow. Now I am thinking of one of my ex-boyfriends who told me he was a guardian of the Universe right before he broke up with me. Seriously. He was not joking. I thought he had a creative mind and a rebellious streak, but no. He was crazypants.

Anyway, these guardians created a UN-type security force called the Green Lantern Corps. Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) is a senior member of the Corps charged with containing Parallax (Clancy Brown), who escapes and mortally wounds Abin Sur. Abin Sur, clearly wounded so badly he forgets that his magic ring gives him the power of intergalactic flight, manages to get into a spaceship and fly to earth. Meanwhile, test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) shows up so late for his big test flight that he doesn’t even undergo any of the flight prep one assumes experimental pilots need before they’re allowed to take the throttle. Oh well, at least he managed to find time for hate flirting with Carol Ferris (Blake Lively). Fun game! Take a shot every time she accuses him of acting like a child! Right around the last third of the movie, everything will seem much more entertaining.

Hal and Abin finally manage to get in the same scene, and naturally Hal buries the alien and flees the scene with magic ring and magic lantern in tow just before the government shows up. Although it seems like, since Hal isn’t a doctor, much less a specialist in alien physiology, he maybe should have considered the possibil-ity that Abin Sur was in some kind of regenerative alien coma and not risked bury-ing him alive? That’s not a spoiler … it just seems like taking the time to build a burial cairn when the military was bound to show up any moment when you have no way of verifying the alien is dead-dead was possibly a tad misguided.

Well, it seems to work out. And Hal is whisked away to the planet Oa where he meets Tomar-Re (Geoffrey Rush), Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan) and Sinestro (Mark Strong). Meanwhile, exo-biologist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) has been tasked with creating some alien autopsy footage for use on the SyFy network. You might think the government would spring for some kind of biohazard suit and thick plastic gloves, but you would be wrong. These cost sa-ing measures result in Hector Hammon absorbing the yellow power wielded by Parallax, setting up the action in the second half of the film.

The mythology continues to develop, the story gets infinitely more complicated, and the finale fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion. However, there is an after credits scene.

As the Fayetteville Young Professionals’ (FYP) second year comes to a close, I’d like to thank everyone who has joined, volunteered, sponsored and attended our many events this year. We’ve made new business contacts, learned new skills, made some memories and most importantly initiated lifelong friendships. 

When I joined the FYP steering committee two years ago at the request of the Chamber of Commerce, I never imagined that from that those 20 people who sat around a table planning, laughing and even arguing, that FYP would grow to almost 500 members. The Fayetteville Young Professional’s success is a testament to the need our community’s 20-40-year-olds have to reach out and connect.

It’s cliché to say it, but FYP has changed my life. I have never been part of a group that has been as rewarding. While the new friends, parties, athletic activities and professional-development opportunities have all been really fun, being a part of a group that also has so much impact on the community has been unexpectedly satisfying. From giving out gifts at the Salvation Army, to cleaning up our newly minted All-America City with Fayetteville Beautiful, FYP has done a lot to give back, thus affording me the opportunity to get to know my community and give back as well.

Additionally, as an organized group, the Fayetteville Young Professionals have made Fayetteville’s business leadership take note of everything that professionals in the 20-40 age group have to offer. FYP gives our age group more weight and cred-ibility. Instead of just being the young guy at the end of the hall, now we are the young guy or girl who can call and mobilize 20-50 people for a meet up at a local restaurant, or team for a non-profit activity. As an organized group, we are able to make the connections that have taken established business professionals years to make and in a fun, friendly, non-intimidating environment.

Fayetteville is changing and it is exciting being a part of that. It is not the same place that many of our parents grew up in. Many of our members are from all over the world. They have moved here for careers or to come back and take over fam-ily businesses instead of venturing out to make their mark in other places. They’ve done this because of the opportunities that this community provides and the qual-ity-of-life improvements that have occurred. Our community has changed from a small town to a big city, which unfortunately has made it harder to meet people. FYP provides that venue. I can’t tell you how often I have heard someone say, “I had no idea there were so many young career-ori-ented people here.”

One of the things that FYP has expanded this year has been our “Meet ups.” Those events have been very successful and draw a diverse group de-pending on the location and time. I’ve not been to a meet up where I haven’t met a new Fayetteville Young Professional member who heard about us on Facebook, through an employer or friend, or even saw us at many of our monthly events. By hosting these events at different locations, it has exposed our members to a lot of new places in the com-munity that they had never been to. Our Lunch and Learn events have also continued to grow, with on average 30-40 young professionals attending our educational series, which are sometimes presented by other young professionals.

Remember, FYP is your group and it is what you make of it. Many of our new activities have come at the suggestion of new members interested in trying out a new activity or something they have a special interest. Next year promises to be even better

.If you are interested in joining, volunteering on a committee or renewing your membership, be sure to visit our website at www.fayyp.org.

Just because the 4th of July has passed, it doesn’t mean there won’t still be fireworks in Fayetteville. The Fayetteville SwampDogs are making a hard push towards the playoffs, and now is the best time to get your tickets to see the team live in action at J.P. Riddle Stadium.

The biggest upcoming nights are just around the corner, including the 2011 CPL All-Star Game, part of the SwampDogs All-Star Summer of Fun. Tickets are limited for the All-Star Fan Feston Sunday, July 17, as well as the All-Star Game itself on Monday, July 18. The Fan Fest includes a home run derby, as well as the 2nd Annual Guns-N-Hoses charity softball game, pit-ting members of the Fayetteville Police Department against the Fayetteville Fire Department, so don’t miss out on a great event full of fun and surprises, and a chance to see the stars of to-morrow, today!

Before that, though, there’s plenty of great SwampDogs action to catch at “The Swamp.” July 6 is Hospitality Appreciation Night at J.P. Riddle Stadium, as the SwampDogs cater to all of those who cater to us. Everyone working in the hospitality industry will receive a $1 off a general admission ticket to the game against the Wilmington Sharks. It’s also Ladies’ Night, so all ladies will be able to buy one general admission ticket and get another general admission ticket free!

Then it’s time to grab your four-leaf clovers, because the following night, July 7, is Summertime St. Patty’s Day! Come celebrate the Luck o’ the Irish, and the first 500 lucky fans, 21 and over, will receive a pint glass courtesy of Yuengling and Healy Wholesale. It will be a night filled with Irish nicknames, Irish food, Irish music — everything that comes with a tra-ditional Irish celebration! It will also be Fayetteville Observer Night, where fans can come and see the Weekender bug, so grab your green and come to July’s best Irish celebration.

On Saturday, July 9, the SwampDogs will host the Morehead City Marlins, and the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a new, insulated lunch bag, presented by Cape Fear Orthopedic. It will also be NC State Night, so wear your Wolfpack gear and receive $1 off a general admission ticket.

Don’t miss out on your chance to catch the best base-ball in town, all part of the Fayetteville SwampDogs All-Star Summer of Fun. For more information or to order your tickets, call the SwampDogs office at 426-5900, and we’ll see you at “The Swamp!’

Theatre Celebrates Past, Looks to Future With New Direction

In 1962, a group of like-minded individuals got together to dream. As is the case with those with vision, their dream wasn’t small. Their goal: the development of a regional theatre in their community. Driving that vision were Bo and Herbert Thorp, and with the hard work, talent and dedication of the Thorps and their friends, that dream became a reality. And, 50 years later, the community can celebrate that dream during the Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s 50th Anniversary.

Never known for doing things in a small way, the theatre will celebrate its anniversary with an ending, a beginning and an award-winning season featuring some of the community’s most talented performers.

For Bo Thorp, who has been the heart of the theatre for its 50 years of existence, this season is somewhat bittersweet. She can look back fondly at the success of the theatre, and look to the future as she takes a step back and the theatre welcomes its new artistic director, Tom Quaintance.

Quaintance, who has more than 18 years of professional experience, directed Hairspray last season at the CFRT, and was chosen by a special committee appointed by the CFRT board of directors after a two year search.

“Tom Quaintance is an amazing director and educator who will successfully lead the CFRT into its next chapter,” said Thorp, who will remain at the theatre throughout the 2011-2012 season as the Founding Artistic Director. “We are very excited about the leadership and artist abilities that Tom will bring to our community, and I look forward to continuing to work with him.”

For his part, Quaintance, is excited about the move to Fayetteville and the challenges presented at the theatre.“I am thrilled with the opportunity to join the Cape Fear Regional Theatre family and am humbled to follow in the footsteps of the great Bo Thorp.”

Quaintance looks forward to working with Thorp over the upcoming season to learn the day-to-day interworkings of the theatre and to create a vision for the theatre.

“One of the main things I want to do is to get out into the community and listen,” he said. “My immediate plan is to get out into the community and get in touch with the people. I want to listen not just to the patrons, but those who do not come to the theatre. I want to fi nd ways to bring them in.”

“For 50 years, the CFRT has been synonymous with professional, quality work that engages, inspires and enlightens the community, and I am especially excited to be arriving as the theatre reaches this extraordinary milestone. I have always believed that theatre is an essential part of any vibrant community, and I want the CFRT to always be a refl ection of this area and its positive attributes — warm, open, interesting and diverse. On a personal note, my wife and I are expecting our fi rst child in July, and we cannot think of a better place to raise a family than Fayetteville.”

The Season

The CFRT 50th Anniversary Season brings some of the best of Broadway and the best of the CFRT stage for a compelling season.

Boeing, Boeing

September-October 2011

Written by French playwright Marc Camoletti, Boeing, Boeing, made its English-language debut in London’s West End in 1962. It centers around the love life of Bernard, a man whose love life is a perfect balancing act: When one of his stewardess girlfriends touches down, the next one is already in the air. What could go wrong? The play, which was made into a move in 1965, and had a recent Broadway revival is, according to The New York Times, “The very opposite of what you might expect. It’s not smutty at all. It’s deliciously, deliriously innocent.”

Miss Saigon

November 2011

Set to run in conjunction with Fayetteville’s Heroes Welcome Home for Vietnam Vets, the staging of Miss Saigon is no accident. This is an epic love story set in war-torn Saigon amidst the turmoil of the Vietnam war. An American GI and a Vietnamese girl fall in love, only to be separated by the fall of Saigon. Their struggle to fi nd each other over the ensuing years ends in her making the ultimate sacrifi ce for the child he never knew.

Encore! 50 Years

January-February 2012

It’s the show loyal fans and patrons of the CFRT have been waiting for; performances highlighting 50 years of CFRT performed by your favorites. Special guest stars will return to the CFRT stage to recreate the role that have endeared them to the audience. This musical is guaranteed to be a showcase of the drama, song and dance that has cemented the CFRT’s reputation as the region’s premiere theatre.

The Great Unknown: A New American Musical

February-March 2012

This is a new musical. The CFRT will be the originating theatre and the first to stage this work by William Hauptman, author of Big River and Jim Wann, composer of Pump Boys & Dinettes.The Great Unknown is a jubilant Americana musical about big dreams and even bigger risks. Hoping to inspire and revive a fractured nation, one-armed Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell lead a daring expedition of veterans down the Colorado river to the Grand Canyon in the spring of 1869. With a contemporary folk/musical theatre score enhanced by environmental elements, The Great Unknown is an American musical adventure.

On Golden Pond

April-May 2012

Presented to great critical and popular acclaim fi rst off and then on Broadway, this touching, funny and warmly perceptive study of a spirited and lovable elderly couple facing their twilight years introduced a signifi cant playwright to the theatre world. This show will star Thorp and Mayon Weeks.

Special Productions

The Night of January 16th

September 2011

A revival of the CFRT’s fi rst production to be held in its original location — the historical courthouse on Dick Street. The story is a murder trial, but without a prearranged verdict; the verdict is decided by a jury selected from the audience. By design the evidence is presented in such a way that the decision must rest on the jurors’ fundamental attitude toward and life and toward man’s potential for greatness. Mayon Weeks will direct the show.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Dec. 6-16

The 21st annual production of Barbara Robinson’s holiday classic. This hilarious Christmas tale is a wonderful opportunity for students to perform.

50th Anniversary Golden Gala

Feb. 11, 2012This is the event of the season! Celebrate 50 years of magic. This black-tie gala is the ultimate back stage pass. Come lift a glass and toast the region’s premiere theatre.

Othello

March-April 2012

Presented as The Classic Theatre Series Production, the show will be performed at Fayetteville State University’s Seabrook Auditorium.

An Evening With Bo

Spring 2012

Celebrate 50 years of Founding Artistic Director Bo Thorp at the CFRT, with an intimate evening with special guests, performances and reminiscences. A reception to follow.

28th Annual River Show

May 2012

A great tradition continues on the banks of the Cape Fear River at the Sol Rose Amphitheater, Campbellton Landing.

Photo: Tom Quaintance 

Although the curtain has barely come down on the 2010/2011 theater season at Gilbert Theater, the staff is alreadyhard at work preparing next year’s entertainment for the community. Here is a peak at what is in store.

No stranger to the Fayetteville theater-goers, The Rocky Horror Show is back and it opens Sept. 22 and runs through Oct. 9.

“We are opening with our Rocky Horror Show. It is turning out to be a tradition like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It is so popular and so well attended. It is a good balance to the things that are less well known and are perhaps more thoughtful,” said Lynn Pryer, Gilbert Theater founder and artistic director, adding that “We do such a good job with Rocky — I thought our live musical version was more entertaining than the movie. We will have a lot of the prior cast returning, too. That is something that is always a joy — doing the “Time Warp” again.”

As a part of the Dickens Holiday celebration that happens annually downtown, the Gilbert opens its rendition of A Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens.

“This is our fifth or sixth season doing the Dickens Holiday,” said Pryer. “Last season, we introduced our new set on casters, so we’ve got quite a good look for our space. We have our wonderful cast, largely returning. It is a great addition to the downtown celebration as it presents the entire story on stage, while outside they have people dressed as Victorian characters walking around the streets and all. I think it is a great addition to the day.”

The season’s third production is another source of pride for the Gilbert staff. It is an original play, by local Vietnam vet, writer, poet and playwright Stephen Miles. It takes place in a retirement home with seniors, one of whom has Alzheimers, and one of whom fi nds out that he is terminally ill. Pryer noted that it is done with a lot of humor, but a lot of pathos as well. Clusters will run Feb. 2-19, 2012. And will be directed by the author.

“A year from this week ,we will have produced our 100th play and something like a quarter to a third of them have been original scripts,” said Pryer. “We are very proud of that. It is part of our mission.”

Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like Itpremiers March 29, 2012 and runs through April 15, 2012. To escape death, the extraordinary Rosalind, her brave cousin Celia and one of Shakespeare’s funniest fools flee into the woods. There, in the bewitching Forest of Arden, they discover shepherds and aristocrats, country folk and lovers — and, ultimately, life, love, joy and freedom. Shakespeare’s glorious and wise comedy reminds us of everything it is to be alive.

The final play of the season will be somewhat of a surprise. Pryer had planned to end the year with a drama, but his personal decision to retire caused him to rethink that and it was changed to a yet-to-be named piece.

“When I did decide to leave, I said, ‘I don’t want to go out on a downer of a play,’ so this last one will be a musical,” said Pryer.

Just like his theatrical career, the 2011/2012 season offers a little bit of everything and something for everyone. According to Pryer it’s been a great ride.

“This time next year I will have been here 20 years. I came here because my son was here and I was very excited about once again living in the south. I had lived here as a missionary for a church years ago, I was a librarian at an all-black high school. I had lived in the south in Virginia, when I was in the Navy, so I was very excited about living in the south. I have a very soft spot in my heart for it. I came here looking for an opportunity, for a satisfying third act, and I definitely found it.”

Find out more about Gilbert Theater at www.gilberttheater.com

Photo: Gilbert opens season with The Rocky Horror Show.

With the blossoming of a new summer, so too blossoms a new season for the local theatre community. One group in particular has some very exciting possibilities in store for the community. They are the River Valley Players.

The River Valley Players are a local nonprofi t theatre troupe consisting entirely of volunteers who perform in order to support local charities.

“We are striving to help other people that need help. Local charities that need an extra boost, and if we are able to help them in any way this is what we try to do,” says Gerry Cruse, founder and director of the Players.

When asked about which charities they choose to support, Cruse responded with, “We just get together and our board decides which one we want. We try to keep it local. Occasionally something comes up, like maybe a cancer research, or something of that sort, because we have all been involved in one way or another with that kind of an incident. But mostly we try to keep everything local if we can.”

Most recently the Players have supported Wounded Warriors with a musical tribute to the military, and are preparing to hold auditions for a performance to benefi t the Fayetteville Urban Ministries. Cruse describes the upcoming performance as, “a series of four short plays, all comedies, all very, very funny.” It will be preformed August 19-20 at the Haymont Grill. They also will have a Christmas performance, but that has yet to be decided upon.

The River Valley Players started several years ago in response to the disaster in New Orleans caused by the infamous Hurricane Katrina.

“I was working at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center at that time and we had a show group in there and we decided to do a show to raise funds for the children that had been displaced by Katrina, and we actually raised about $3,000 on that occasion,” said Cruse.

The biggest new project Cruse has in the works however, is a permanent home for the players and a community theater.

“There is an opportunity for the River Valley Players to obtain a building on Trade Street in Hope Mills that will make a perfect little community theatre,” says Cruse excitedly. “It will be a community theatre; there will be rooms that could be rented for functions. The theatre itself will be small but can be dressed up as a wedding chapel, and people can have receptions there. It’s just a good scheme, and we think it would do great. We would like to have, during the summer and continuing if necessary, theatre camps for young people. And also really involve the youth of Hope Mills in the performing arts, because there is nothing live in Hope Mills other than what’s in the schools,” Cruse explained.

The River Valley Players face the same issues most non-profit organizations face, however. They need support, and they need volunteers. When asked if she had enough volunteers, Cruse responded simply and firmly with a single word, “No.”

With the opportunity of obtaining a building, the group needs support from the community more than ever. “If we could get that going I would be totally delighted. It’s two buildings; they are about a hundred years old. So they are going to have to have some work done to bring them up to code before we can even start to think of putting stuff in there, let alone a gathering place for people. So, we have to make sure all of that is correct, and compliant with ADA rules. But I’m hoping we can get enough support to do this,” said Cruse.

In the heart of historic downtown Sanford sits the Temple Theater, just off Carthage Street. Built in 1925 and restored in the 1980s, the Temple Theater may look like a museum, but is an active live-production theater today. While Main Stage Productions only run from September through May, the summer is a special time for patrons.

Every year the Temple Theater runs a Youth Conservatory through the summer months. This is a special theater training camp for kids ages 8 to 18, with a cost of $300 per child. It is so popular that the theater runs two separate camps each summer. According to Jordan Childress, marketing director, both three week sessions filled up on registration day in April within 30 minutes of opening. This year it expanded the slots available from 38 to 45 to accommodate as many campers as it could.

After the three weeks of daily rehearsals and lessons, campers will do four performances of Alice in Wonderland, an original adaptation by the theater’s Producing Artistic Director, Peggy Taphorn. Music for this production was done by Michael Hoagland, based in New York. Hoagland is the same artist who wrote the music for the theater’s popular original production of A Christmas Carol, which is done each December.

The public is welcome to come see either session’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Performances for the first conservatory will be July 8-10, and for the second conservatory on August 5-7. Tickets for the conservatory performances are $12 for adults and $6 for kids. Performance times vary, so please see the temple website for specifi c dates and times. www.templeshows.com/html/summer.html

Calling all actors! On July 23, the theater will hold auditions for the 2011-2012 theater season. Performers are paid actors drawn from all over the triangle. Auditions will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The theater performs eight Main Stage productions and four Black Box productions each year.

On tap this season are some great plays, many of which are sure to be community favorites. Guys and Dolls will start the season on Sept. 15 and will run through Oct. 2.

Dial “M” for Murder will bring mystery to the stage Oct. 20-Nov. 6. The theater’s annual production of A Christmas Carol will end the 2011 shows, with a run from Dec. 1-Dec. 18.

The new year will come in with a bang, as Country Royalty comes to the stage Jan. 12-29, 2012. And, get ready for side-splitting comedy in February, as The Odd Couple runs Feb. 16- March 4, 2012.

The season will end with the wacky Little Shop of Horrors, April 26-May 13.

Temple Theatre offers the most flexible season ticket packages around. They are on sale every season from June through Sept. 10 - Oct. 3. Choose from the four or six ticket pass and then use them in any combination that you wish. The four-ticket Flex Pass is $72 and the six-ticket pass is $108. Call the box offi ce at 919-774-4155 to get all the details!

Teens wishing to try out for the Temple Teens group will audition at 4 p.m. on July 23. Temple Teens is a special group of teenage performers who prepare 30-45 minute shows around town at fundraisers and other events all year long.

The theater is calling for logo submissions for a new fall fundraiser. It is hosting the Brick City Beer Fest on Oct. 15, which will be an annual event.

Taphorn says, “The winning design will become the offi cial Brick City Beer Festival logo. Also, the winner will receive two T-shirts and two season tickets to Temple Theatre’s 2011-2012 season.”

Logo applicants must be residents of North Carolina and at least 18 years of age. Please call the theater for additional information at 919-774-4512.

Tickets for the Beer Fest go on sale July 10 for $25. Tickets will sell for $35 on Oct. 15. Due to the limited space at Depot Park, where the event will be held, advance purchase is strongly recommended. Designated driver tickets for those who will not sample beer will be $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Since the theater is often rented out for other events, be sure to check the Temple website for other concerts and benefits.

“Move that bus!” These are the words residents of Fayetteville/Cumberland County will soon be hearing.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the popular Emmy Award-winning ABC Television reality show, is bringing their famous bus to Fayetteville to surprise one very lucky local family with a complete home rebuild. Along with host Ty Pennington and the rest of the Extreme team, local volunteers and builder Blue Ridge Log Cabins will race against time to construct an entire house for a deserving family.

Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne helped make the announcement at a press conference hosted by the builder earlier today in Fayetteville.

“It’s an honor that a family from Fayetteville has been chosen to receive the home of their dreams, courtesy of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team and Blue Ridge Log Cabins,” said Mayor Chavonne. “We have been presented with a great opportunity for our citizens to join together to help one of our own and show the world that Fayetteville truly is America’s Hometown.” 

Log homes are rare on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and log homes built through a fully modular process have been unheard of... until now. Blue Ridge Log Cabins, an 18-year-old company, has built more than 980 log homes throughout the nation and more than 500 in North Carolina.

“We couldn’t be happier to work alongside this fantastic community, and we hope everyone will turn out and join us in building an extraordinary home for this deserving family,” said Blue Ridge Log Cabins President and CEO Chip Smith.

The theme for the build, “Heroes, Hearts and Hard Hats,” was selected in honor of the patriotic pride and community spirit of America’s Hometown. Fayetteville’s heroes are being asked to come forward and participate in the seven-day, televised construction project. Community members, volunteers, leaders, craftsmen and business owners are all welcome.

While behind-the-scenes planning is taking place at warp speed, the name of the family and the exact location of the home will not be released until Thursday, July 14 when the design team and a crew of volunteers surprise the lucky family with their well-known, “Good Morning!” wake up call. Five families in the Fayetteville area are being considered as finalists.

If you want to participate in the project, here are some dates you will need to keep in mind. A community pep rally is slated for Thursday, July 7 from 5-7 p.m. at the Crown Coliseum.

On Thursday, July 15, the lucky family will be notified at 8 a.m. with a megaphone shout-out from the Extreme team.

Just one-week later, on Thursday, July 21, the completed house will be revealed and those famous words, “Bus Driver, Move That Bus!” will ring throughout Fayetteville.

To find out how you can get involved, visit www.blueridgelogcabins.com or www.joinextreme.com.

Photo below: The cast of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will make a local Fayetteville family’s dream come true this month.

 

My Dad has always been a Yankees’ man. It didn’t matter if the team was winning or losing, he was pulling for them. I grew up watching the N.Y. Yankees play ball in our living room — via the television — throughout my childhood.

My Dad loves the game of baseball. In his younger years, he played pitcher on a team in Alexandria, La. I remember the whole family loading up in the station wagon to go watch him play. At the time, I thought he should be playing for the Yankees. Such is life through the eyes of the child.

Later, I frequently found myself at the ball fi eld watching my older brothers and sister play softball. My brothers were giants on the fi eld. You could always count on them to knock it out of the park. And my sister, Susan, was no slouch either. She played a wicked fi rst base and no one could touch her at bat.

I played one season of softball, and realized it really wasn’t my sport. But it didn’t stop my love of the game.

My husband is a Yankees’ man. That and his service in the military are the two reasons I think my Dad loves him so much. When we found out I was expecting, the first thing my husband bought was a ball glove. When he presented it to me with a big smile on his face, I had a brief glimpse of my future... countless hours spent shuttling our little slugger to the ball park, sitting in the heat or rain watching games and waiting for the agony of defeat. I have to admit, I wasn’t too excited about that picture.

Thankfully, things change.

Our little one has, in fact, grown up with a ball of some sort in his hand since he was 4-years-old. His first venture into the world of athletics was T-ball. And like every mother who ever sat her son the field, I chased him around and tried to get him to understand that the butterfl ies were not what he should be interested in, but rather the ball hurtling from the sky at his head.

Our next foray into the athletic world was basketball. Again, he was 4. He and his teammates were more interested in sliding down the floor of the YMCA gym than actually learning the fundamentals of the sport. And my son, JohnJohn, seemed to think that basketball was a contact sport. My husband and I took great pleasure from the calls of the other parents who would yell, “JohnJohn get the ball from him,” and watch as he tackled the opposing player to get the ball away.

Finesse was not his strong point.

Soccer seemed to be a good fit. He liked playing the goal. And I liked him in the goal. He dominated the goal. No one came into his goal, and pity the poor child who tried.

I remember sitting in my chair at the end of the field right by the goal — far away from the other parents — cheering him on. Later, friends explained to me that yelling, “No one comes in your goal — you own it” and “There’s no crying in soccer”— after he was hit in the face by the ball — wasn’t exactly cheering.

Soccer taught me that I had a competitive monster just waiting to come out.

Football was also a good fit for our boy. Somewhere around the age of 6, he started to grow. He has remained at the 95th to 98th percentile for his age in height and weight, so his appearance at football tryouts made coaches smile in antcipation.

He loves the game, and he is good at it. But baseball is truly his passion.

For the past five years, he has played at the Gray’s Creek Recreation Center. For the majority of that time, he has played for the same coach and with many of the same players. These boys have grown-up together and they have jelled into a pretty amazing team.

Our coach, Jim Lisi, has more passion for the sport than anyone I have ever met. But it’s not so much about winning, rather about encouraging the boys to do their best. Practice after practice, night after night, he put the boys through countless drills.

I remember the first season he coached, the boys didn’t even get on the field until they mastered what he called the fundamentals of baseball. We parents would sit and watch and wonder when they were ever going to get on the fi eld and how all of the little drills would make them a team. We couldn’t see it, but Jim did.

As is the case with every coach and every parent, we did not always see eye to eye. But Jim always took the time to listen, and, when he found merit in what we said, tried our way. Sometimes that got lost in translation, and rather than seeing how he bent, we saw only that it wasn’t as far as we wanted.

As parents, we sometimes grew tired of the numerous practices and his expectations of his team. While parents would mutter amongst themselves, the boys kept playing. They kept learning, and along the way, they kept winning.

As I watched our team win, I realized that Coach Jim was teaching the boys more than baseball. He’s been teaching them about excellence, about never settling for less, about never giving anything than their best. Those lessons aren’t always easy for 9- and 10-year-olds. Heck, they aren’t easy for adults.

But year, after year, our boys took those lessons to heart. So much so, that it altered their decisions. Last fall, my son opted out of football because he wanted to show Coach Jim that he could excel as a catcher. He made a conscious decision to give his best — even though he knew he wouldn’t be the starting catcher when he returned for spring ball.

That’s the kind of choices that many of the boys on our team have made over and over again, and this season, it paid off for them.

Our team, the Gray’s Creek Yankees (you didn’t really think it could be anything else, did you?) won our league championship.

Coach Jim was named the head coach for the All-Star Team. Being on that team was my son’s goal.The day the team was picked, Jim came by our house to let JohnJohn know he made the team. Why? He knew what it would mean to him, and he wanted to see the look on his face.

Our All-Star Team had a heck of a run. They won their pool, beating fi ve of the best teams in the county. They played with the hearts of champions and with a kindness and spirit that is rarely seen in league sports.

Our season ended on Thursday, June 30, as we fell 4-3 to the North Fayetteville All-Stars in one of the best ball games I have seen in years. Both teams played with a heart and spirit that made baseball the American sport.

On the sidelines, a huge group of Gray’s Creek residents — many of whom didn’t even have children playing on the team — cheered them on. Even in defeat, the crowd roared their approval and love for this team.

Watching, I realized that this is why we choose to live in a community like Gray’s Creek. It’s the people. It’s the love and support they have for their children and their neighbor’s children. I listened as person after person told player after player that they had played an excellent game and had nothing to be ashamed of. The boys looked to Jim to see if this was right.

He didn’t fail them.

We may not have made it to the state play-offs, but we had an All-American season, and that’s a memory and an honor that no one can ever take away from these boys.

Go Grays Creek All-Stars!

Photo: Gray’s Creek All-Stars showed community its heart.

“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fi ght against nation nor train for war anymore”     Isaiah 2:4

The North Carolina Farm Center for Innovation and Sustainability with its ally, the N.C. Wal-Mart Foundation has declared war:

A war on hunger! A war on military veterans’ unemployment! A war on the waning sustainability of small farms!

The N.C. Swords to Plowshares project will train veterans and active-duty troops leaving the military in agricultural enterprises and innovative farming practices. Vets will get hands-on experience in organic pesticides, solar drip irrigation, biochar topsoil, “green organics” and high-tunnel technology in an “agricultural boot camp.”

Two-thirds of the training will focus on utilization of the land, equipment and skills that will allow the participants to compete for jobs in the state’s agricultural industries.

Unemployment among military veterans is a shocking 33 percent and jobs (particularly without skills) are as scarce as hen’s teeth. But collaboration with community partners such as Fayetteville Technical Community College, the Workforce Development Program and the Military Business Assistance Center and armed with a $50,000 grant from Wal-Mart, the Farm Center hopes to shift the attention of young warriors from the battlefi elds of Iraq and Afghanistan to the farm fi elds of southeastern North Carolina.

A national trend to grow food locally in order to assure food safety and food security has lead to the realization that young soldiers possess many of the qualities to succeed in naturally grown and organic-farming enterprises and related businesses.

Agriculture, like the military, is not for the faint of heart. Soldiers have to be able to operate independently, take risk, not be afraid of hard work and long days, be disciplined and enjoy the physical and the outdoors (i.e. does not want to sit behind a desk).

The mission: Feed the forces (our communities), develop the opportunity to grow your own business and decompress in an environment that creates rather than destroys.

Archie’s Acres is teaching Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton, Calif., to wage a “ground assault” on stray frogs that would clog an irrigation system. In Central Florida, a wounded warrior who left farming to join the military has come full circle, designing a wheelchair-accessible farm to grow “red, white and blueberries.”

Farming is one of the 10 Best Green Jobs and, according to CNN’s Money, demand for organic farmers is Number 2 in “hot jobs” in the “green space.” Many vets come from rural backgrounds and have access to low-interest loans to go into business for themselves.

In North Carolina, young recruits to agriculture would rejuvenate the aging farmer population which is both dwindling and has an average age of 58-years-old. Farming has become the cause du jour among young people with college degrees and trust funds, but the “gut” sense of the old timers is when many have dropped out, the vets will still be there.

With Fayetteville’s recognition as an All-America City, our new and exciting Botantical Garden Complex, a re-invigorated downtown and the recent opening of the N.C. Veterans Park, I guess it is getting pretty diffi cult to pinpoint just what we like “best” about this community.

For the 14th year in a row, we are going to try. Yes, get ready Cumberland County, Fayetteville and Fort Bragg — it is that time of year again when we poll our Up & Coming Weekly readers and ask them to share their opinions about local issues, people, businesses and organizations that in one way or the other has made an impact on our community during the last 12 months.For 14 years, this has been our way of monitoring local community development and our quality-of-life index while allowing us to acknowledge and congratulate publicly those who have dedicated themselves to improving our quality of life by leaving an indelible mark on our community.

If you are a regular reader of U&CW, you know we take this reader’s survey very, very seriously. Our staff goes to great lengths to find, congratulate and salute the “best of the best.” For those of you who may be new to the community and not familiar with the process, we encourage you to participate by completing the ballot found on page 27 and 28 of this issue and submitting it before the deadline of August 4th. Best of Fayetteville ballots my also be downloaded from our website by going to Up & Coming Weekly’s website and free electronic edition at www.upandcomingweekly.com. Most importantly, make sure you follow these instructions:

1. Fill in and complete at least 15 categories.

2. Include your name and address.

3. Complete only one entry per person.

4. Mail in or deliver to our offi ce (208 Rowan St.) only one entry per envelope.

5. The most important thing: DON’T CHEAT! Not that you would, of course, but tell your friends and associates it will do them no good to try and “stuff” the ballot box.

Like I said, we have been doing this for years and we take this survey very seriously. Our readers trust our publication and have confidence in the people, businesses and organizations that support our community newspaper. And, unlike most other local contests or newspaper reader’s choice surveys, all of Up & Coming Weekly’s Best of Fayetteville ballots are mailed directly to a local CPA’s offi ce where the process of counting, auditing and verifying begins. It is here that incomplete, duplicated, falsified, doctored and suspicious ballots are revealed and disallowed. Yes, this is a very costly and time-consuming process, however, one that has a 14-year track record of success and dependability and has proven to be quite effective. The end results have been that the Best of Fayetteville readers survey and recognition has been able to maintain its high level of integrity, dignity, honor and pride. Each winner is proud to display their plaque or certifi ate provided by our original sponsor Jimmy Keefe and The Trophy House.

So, please participate by  lling out and submiting a ballot. Tell us like it is, and we will tell the community. Curious minds want to know: Who is the Best of Fayetteville? You may even win $100. We have a special drawing from all the valid submitted entries. The winner will be presented $100 at the Best of Fayetteville party on Sept. 13. We hope to see you there.

Don’t forget: This year you can vote online. Include your email address on the ballot and we will subscribe you to our “free” Online Early Bird Edition. Remember, stuffi ng the ballot box will not help. To really promote your cause, business or organization just tell your friends to pick up a copy of Up & Coming Weekly, follow the instructions and VOTE. If you do not have access to the Up & Coming Weekly at your business or organization, call us at 910 484 6200 and we will make sure you are directed to the closest available outlet. With more than 500 locations county-wide that shouldn’t be a problem. Above all else, have fun with this and feel free to call me anytime. We love to hear from our readers.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly and for making us Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s #1 Community Newspaper.

On Monday, July 4, North Carolinians from all walks of life will make their way to the intersection of Bragg Boulevard and Hay Street. There, they will celebrate the completion of Phase One of the North Carolina Veterans Park, a project that has been two and half years in design and construction and more than three decades in the making.

The park, a project of the City of Fayetteville, was first suggested by the N.C. General Assembly almost three decades ago. There was a competition between a number of areas at that time, but Cumberland County won the bid to build the park. That was before Hurricane Fran and Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc on our state. Staring down the face of two natural disasters, the legislature pulled back funding and the park was put on hold.

Fast foward to 2008-2009, and the project began to gain some traction. At that time, former N.C. Senator Tony Rand was considering how much longer he was going to remain in the N.C. Senate. Rand, a proponent of the park and its placement within the confines of Cumberland County, brought the issues back up and was successful in getting an appropriation for the park. But, rather than the money going to the county, it went to the City of Fayetteville, which has taken the ball and run with it. Like Rand, city leaders saw the creation of the park adjacent to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum a win/win for the city’s historic downtown and the veterans who will make their way here for a visit.

According to Craig Hampton, who works on special projects for the city, the placement downtown is “dynamic.” Hampton noted that as the park grows, it will eventually connect to the ASOM, Festival Park and Freedom Memorial park via walkways and bridges.

The initial phase of construction will open during a special ceremony on Monday, July 4, that will feature participation by national, state and local veterans organizations, representatives from all five branches of the military and politcos, including N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue; Joe Riojas, assistant secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Mayor Tony Chavonne, City of Fayetteville. A special guest at the event will be Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, who is currently in Iraq. Helmick will take part in the event via VTC. In keeping with the patriotic theme of the event, the 82nd Airborne Division Ceremonial Band and the All American Chorus will perform in the new N.C. Veterans Park Amphitheatre.

Following the dedication of the park at 10 a.m., the public will be invited into the park. Organizers are going a long way to make sure the day is one to remember and will provide free hotdogs, ice cream, lemonade and cake to those in attendance. And while the food is an added bonus, the majority of those in attendance will come to marvel at the park and the way it has transformed, yet again, the city center.

Phase 1 of the park consists of 4.5 acres on the southside of Cross Creek. It showcases 10 water features, a visitor’s center, amphitheatre and boardwalk.

According to Hampton, “It has lots of architectural elements in it. The elements convey what the story line says: Respect, honor and pride that the people have in their veterans.”

Hampton said the park is intended to be an “urban oasis,” that allows visitors to reflect, relax, enjoy and bond with their fellow veterans. It is a place where they can share their stories and their experiences, and it invites them to take pride in their service, and allows the community to honor them for it.

One of the unique elements of the park is the vast use of public art.

“Public art — in this case — has a broad defi nition,” explained Hampton. “Almost all of the things in the park have been designed to be appealing and have meaning — in short, the whole thing is public art.”

Of particular note is the Oath of Service Wall, where the casted hands of veterans from all 100 counties will be on display. This project, under the oversight of the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County, and in particular, Fayetteville artist Soni Martin, truly defi nes what the park is all about.

On the wall, there are the hands of 100 N.C. veterans, who range in age from 20 to over 100. Each hand is raised, much as it would have been when the veteran took his oath of service. There are 99 right hands on the wall, and one left hand. As Martin, explained, “The one man didn’t have a right hand, or a leg for that matter, he lost it in defense of our nation.”

For more on the park, visit the website at www.ncveteranspark.org and look in next week’s edition for more on the art, artists and opening.

If, after reaching this point in the newspaper, you still aren’t sure what to do on the 4th of July, we have a couple of more suggestions for you.

You may want to drop into Fort Bragg and take in the festivities that ranked #16 on Parade Magazine’s America’s Bucket List.

The entry on #16 reads: Seek out the best 4th of July fireworks within 50 miles of your home. One of the biggest shows is in New York City, where up to six barges detonate simultaneous displays, but every state has spectacular options, like Disneyland Resort’s patriotic explosions in Anaheim, Calif., or the celebration at Fort Bragg in N.C., which includes a thrilling parachuting exhibition.

The event was also named one of the Top 20 events in the southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. It seems that the rest of America has fi nally clued in on what those of us who live in the region have known all along — if you want to celebrate your freedom, there’s no better place to do so than with the men and women who protect it every day. The Fort Bragg 4th of July Celebration has always been a show stopper and this year, it looks to be even better than before.

The annual celebration is held at the Main Post Parade Field, right in the heart of Fort Bragg. Events kick off at 3 p.m. on Monday, July 4, and run throughout the evening, concluding with one of the area’s most inspiring fi reworks displays.

Throughout the afternoon, attendees can watch breathtaking parachute freefall demonstrations; observe the grandeur of the popular flag ceremony; the shock and awe of the fireworks; and take part in what has to be one of America’s largest picnics as thousands of people unfold their blankets, break out their picnic baskets or take advantage of the wide variety of food and beverages that will be available from vendors throughout the evening.

While the Fort Bragg event is known for its patriotic flavor, it’s also known for its musical guests. Each year Fort Bragg welcomes some of the nation’s most popular performers to the stage to delight the community.

In recent years, there has been a decidedly country flavor to the event, and that remains true this year, as the post welcomes Charlie Daniels and Little Big Town to the stage.

Daniels, a native of Wilmington, N.C., is best known for his fiddle playing and his hit songs “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “In America.”

In recent years, he has made headlines for his support of the military and his views on politics. In 2003, Daniels published an Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch in defense of President George W. Bush’s Iraq policy. His 2003 book Ain’t No Rag: Freedom, Family, and the Flag contains this letter as well as many other personal statements.

Daniels will be joined at the celebration by Little Big Town, a band that is known for its love of music and love of harmony. The band has sold more than 1.5 million records and garnered three Grammy nominations, including The Road to Here’s nomination for album of the year.

Come early and take in all the events and then keep your eyes on the skies for the fireworks show that is sure to please everyone in your family!If you’ve never been to Bragg’s 4th of July activities, the sheer size of the event and the number of people who come may seem overwhelming; however, the post has this event down to a science and if you follow a few simple rules, everything will run smoothly. A complete listing of access points, parking areas and prohibited areas is listed on the Fort Bragg MWR website. While the entire community is welcome, please keep in mind that persons entering the post must have ID and your vehicles are subject to search. No pets or glass bottles are permitted on the parade field, and shelters and umbrellas are allowed only in designated areas.

For more information, visit www. fortbraggmwr.com/sportsrec/specialevents/4thsoe.pdf.

Local soldiers are the focus of the newest exhibit gallery at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. A Legacy of Army Service: Tar Heels 1940 to Present, is a temporary exhibit that opened in mid-June.

The exhibit complements the opening of the North Carolina State Veterans Park over 4th of July weekend. The park, located across the ASOM parking lot, commemorates a veteran’s journey before, during and after service. The exhibit does the same.

Many North Carolinians, nicknamed Tar Heels, share a rich legacy of service that embodies the army values. This exhibit honors these men and women. It particularly highlights soldiers with airborne and special operations connections. Also recognized are North Carolina Army National Guard and Army Reserve units including the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) headquartered in Clinton and the 824th Quartermasters based out of Fort Bragg.

The most striking part of the exhibit sits quietly near the back wall, and it doesn’t look like much at fi rst, just a two-sided, dark, wooden rack strung with 10 rows of silver-colored metal. It’s not behind a rope or a glass case. Unlike other exhibits, it’s meant to be touched, which is when it jingles and chimes and reveals not solid rows of metal but tightly-packed, thin, metal “dog tags.”

Like most people, Cpl. William Watson, who is stationed at Fort Bragg, ran his hand down a line of tags when he saw the display.

Hung alphabetically and by confl ict, the first one is stamped with a name, “Abernathy Jacob L” and the fi ght, “World War II.” He’s the fi rst of nearly 10,000 of the dog tags, each representing a North Carolina soldier killed in confl ict between World War II and May 2011.

“It definitely brings a lot of perspective,” Watson said. “It’s a part of history that’s right there in your hands. It makes it seem very human. Every soldier wears dog tags, so it’s a part of them. It feels somewhat connected.”But not just those North Carolinians who sacrifi ced all are highlighted in this unique exhibit. There are also uniforms, weapons, a military Jeep and interesting tidbits relating to the service of Tar Heel soldiers.

One display estimates that there were, in September 2010, about 765,900 military veterans currently living in North Carolina.

“I think it’s (the exhibit is) long overdue,” said former Army Ranger and current China Grove resident Keith Childers, who was visiting the museum with his family for Father’s Day.

“With Fort Bragg being right here in North Carolina and a lot of other installations … This is something for my children, to bring them and show them what I can, of some of what I’ve done.”

Posters throughout the exhibit single out 22 past and present state heroes who played a wide range of roles in the Army. Sure, most people will recognize Tarboro native Gen. Henry Hugh Shelton’s picture, but through the exhibit they can also learn about people like Fayetteville resident First Sgt. Tanya Michele Krieger, who served from 1979 to 1999, and whose display hangs right there next to the general’s.

Autryville resident Lawrence Gambino said the dog tag exhibit was the stand out item for him, as a Vietnam veteran who was drafted in the ‘70s.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he said.

His son, Lawrence Gambino Jr., called the dog tag exhibit “almost a memorial.”

“But it’s more realistic,” Gambino Jr. said. “To see things a soldier would carry with him day-in and day-out through his Army career, it’s more symbolic to see something like that.”

The ASOM is located in downtown Fayetteville and open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, and closed Mondays.

Photo: A display of 10,000 dog tags signifying North Carolinians who have lost their lives since World War II serves as a moving memorial at the exhibit at the ASOM.

Community Celebrations Abound in the Cape Fear Region

July 4, Independence Day, marks the day the Continental Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. From July 8, 1776 through the following month, the document was read publicly, and people celebrated whenever they heard it. In the year 1783, Independence Day was made an official holiday, and in 1941, Congress declared July 4th a federal holiday.

John Adams, the first vice president and the second President of the United States wrote to his wife, “I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... it ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfi res and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.”

In keeping with Adams’ wish for our nation, there will be a plethora of celebrations on the 4th of July weekend throughout this great nation and this great state. Locally, residents can pick and choose, where, how and when they celebrate our nation’s birthday. You’ll find a lot of information in this edition about various weekend events, but below, you will find a round up of “hometown” activities that are sure to put a smile on your face and a feeling of patriotism in your heart.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen’s 46th Annual 4th of July celebration has something for everyone. Look for things like games, prizes, food, live music and fi reworks. Activities and games will start around 5:30 p.m. with live music by The Entertainers beginning at 6 p.m. Fireworks will start at 9:15pm. Admission to the park is free, but kids can purchase a $3 wristband and participate in extra activities, win prizes and have their faces painted. Everything is taking place at Aberdeen Lake Park. Give them a call at 944-PARK to fi nd out more.

Carthage

Carthage residents will kick-off their 4th of July festivities with a parade. It starts at 11a.m. at Monroe Street. After the parade, spend some time downtown during the city’s street festival, where you can eat, listen to music and celebrate with your friends. Find out more at 947-2331.

Hope Mills

Hope Mills has reserved an entire day to celebrate the 4th. Forget the afternoon barbeque, the fun here starts with a parade at 10 a.m., which starts at Hope Mills Middle School and ends at Rockfish Elementary School. Spend the day at Municipal Park, which opens at noon with kids games, infl atables, arts and crafts and more.

The mayor will address the crowd at 7 p.m., and then the entertainment starts. Jill Charles and Redtrii will perform followed by Rough Draft Entertainment. The night ends with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Call 426-4109 for more information.

Lillington

Known as the Festival of the Park, Lillington’s annual 4th of July Celebration, will be held on Monday, July 4, in the Lillington Park located at 405 South 1st Street (one block off Main Street).

The event includes rides, food vendors, entertainment by the Band of Oz and fireworks. Gates open at 3 p.m. and there is no admission charge.

Lumberton

Music and a Fireworks display are in store for Lumberton residents on July 2. The band Goldrush will perform. It’s all happening at Lumberton Senior High School starting at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. It starts at 7 p.m. with the fireworks starting around 9 p.m. Call 671-3869 to fi nd out more.

Parkton

On Monday, July 4, Parkton is hosting its 50th Annual 4th of July celebration. The fun begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Town Square and will include a parade at 11 a.m. There will be music throughout the day. Enjoy some freshly cooked barbeque while spending time with friends and family.

Pinehurst

For a more subdued celebration, try the 4th of July Moore County Concert Band. The band will play at 3 p.m. in the Cardinal Ballroom, Carolina Hotel at Pinehurst Resort. For more information call (910)295-9023.

Pinehurst is starting its 4th of July celebration at 5 p.m. at the The Fair Barn, Pinehurst Harness Track, Route 5, Pinehurst. Fun and games for all ages, pony rides, Sparky and friends and more to delight the young and old. The Vision Band will perform at 6 p.m. Local vendors and caterers will provide food and beverages, or bring your own picnic and enjoy the evening. Bring a blanket and lawn chairs, the fi reworks start at 9:15 p.m. at the 1 Mile Track. Call 295-2817 for more information.

Southport

If you want to participate in North Carolina’s 4th of July celebration, take a short trip to Southport, where for more than 200 years, the community has celebrated the nation’s independence. The celebration began during colonial times when ships lay anchor in her harbor and shot their cannons. Now, 40,000 to 50,000 people come each year to bathe in the richness of spirit commemorating Old Glory.

These days there will not be a lot of cannons firing, but there will be fun for the entire family. The Southport celebration kicks-off on Saturday, June 25 with the opening ceremony at 7:45 a.m. at Waterfront Park and continues through the 4th, with a wide variety of activities for the entire family.

Some highlights of the festival are the The N.C. Freedom Run/Walk, a concert by the 2nd Marine Division Military Band, an arts festival, Beach Day at Oak Island, Shag contests, a street festival, live music and much more.

One event that will be particularly poignant is the 9/11 Flag Stitching. The event brings a fl ag that was rescued from the World Trade Center on 9/11 to the city as part of a national tour. Residents from around the country have the opportunity to make a stitch on the fl ag in memory of those who lost their lives that day.

There will be several fireworks in the region over the week of the celebration.

For complete details, events and list of entertainment, visit www.nc4thofjuly.com.

Wilmington

In Historic Downtown Wilmington, the 4th of July celebration will begin at 5 p.m., when Water Street comes alive with food, music and fun. Entertainment can be found at Riverfront Park with live music provided by the Daniel Parish Band. Along the boardwalk, everyone has a front row street for the fi reworks display, which will begin at 9 p.m.

The Battleship Blastis one of the largest choreographed fireworks displays in the state and this year, it will be especially meaningful because the Battleship North Carolina is celebrating its 50th year here in Wilmington. The 20-minute spectacular fi reworks display has drawn crowds of more than 50,000 people. The 50th Battleship Anniversary celebration will not disappoint and at 9:05 p.m. the Battleship fireworks spectacular will begin. You don’t want to miss this year, as the fi reworks display will take on new forms that have never been seen in Wilmington before.

Primary viewing for the fireworks will be from downtown Wilmington. The entire Battleship complex on Eagles Island will be closed at 6 p.m. and all vehicles will be required to leave by 6:30 p.m.

In 1941 Congress declared July 4th a national holiday. We can’t be sure what Congress had in mind, but today, communities across the country celebrate with parades and picnics, fi reworks and barbecues. Growing up, my family went to our uncle’s cabin on the lake in Southwick, Mass. We enjoyed watermelon, water skiing, hot dogs and hamburgers and of course the burnt marshmallows on a stick after the coals were smoldering out. The adults gathered in their areas while the cousins swam, played chase or fought to be the driver of the boat. Darkness came and we sat back as we watched the fi reworks in the sky. As we age into teenagers and adults, our memories fade and new ones are created.

Seventy years after the fi rst July 4th national holiday, I celebrate America’s Independence in Fayetteville, N.C., with the men and women who defend the freedoms we enjoy in the community where N.C., ratifi ed the Constitution. In 2010, Fox News said Fort Bragg’s fi reworks are among the nation’s best. Fort Bragg has achieved the Army’s Excellence Award and now the National Civic league awards Fayetteville an All-America City designation.

Coming home from Kansas City, where Fayetteville received the All-America City award, my taxi driver, who was from Albania but had lived in Kansas City for the last 15 years, was telling me the story of living in a communist country through the 1990s. He worked a government job, drove a government car and lived in a government housing development. Today, smiling, he has built a successful transportation company and other ventures and says he is living the American dream. I listened in awe as the appreciation of the United States of America was further ingrained in mind, body and soul.

From July 1-4, Cumberland County has a plethora of Americana activities to satisfy any taste or budget. Please utilize the wonderful resources available at www.VisitFayettevilleNC.com. You can check out the calendar of events or use any of our planning tools to customize a weekend for you and your friends or family. Remember, we have 6,000 rooms, so you can let the community entertain you and the hotels house your guests. No mess no fuss.

While online, take a second to “like” the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Face Book page to keep up with community happenings. Better yet, get involved with our sister projects of the Army’s Army.com or FayettevilleWantsYou.com.

Get F.I.T. without dieting by being a friend in tourism or a watcher in the group organized to show the world why we are America’s First Military Sanctuary and are committed to watching over those who watch over us.

In the near future, our community will host the Heroes Crusade — an athlete’s campaign. This three-day event includes a rugby tournament, a golf tournament and a walk, bike or run event and leads into the activities of Heroes Homecoming. During the 10 days of Heroes Homecoming, Cumberland County will celebrate the Vietnamese culture and present a Veterans Day weekend that honors the nation’s Vietnam Veterans.

As we look into the future, we can see that Cumberland County is all American. Spring Lake EDC is working hard to provide a plan that furthers their efforts and helps that city achieve its American Dream. Hope Mills is growing fast and adding many beautiful homes, restaurants and a new movie theater. At 10 a.m. on the 4th of July, Hope Mills will host a fun celebration. I look forward to the day when their lake is restored, and I am laying back, watching their fireworks. Life will have come full circle.

In the meantime, help us to help you. Learn about the community’s attributes and invite people to visit. Last year, our residents saved $93 in their tax bills because of visitor tax generation. We all win if United We Stand.

May God Bless you and yours for a safe and fruitful summer.

Super 8 (Rated PG-13)  4 Stars

J.J. Abrams nostalgic look at the 1970’s owes much to the early science fiction/fantasy work of Steven Spielberg. Super 8 (112 minutes) mostly succeeds in what it sets out to do, even if some of the younger actors are a bit precocious. If the film has a single major flaw, it is in the tendency to try wringing emo-tional depth out of smaltziness. On the other hand, as you would expect from the man behind the plane crash on Lost, the train crash that drives the first half of the film is rendered in spectacular detail.

In the early part of 1979 Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) loses his mother. There is something unresolved about his mother’s death, but the audience is left to ponder it as the movie advances four months in time to the end of school year.

Joe hangs out with a little Aryan youth gang, Charles (Riley Griffiths, who I bet we’re going to see more of), Preston (Zach Mills), Martin (Gabriel Basso) and Cary (Ryan Lee). Charles is making a low-budget zombie film to enter into a film festival, and he has managed to get The Girl from the Wrong Side of the Tracks, Alice (Elle Fanning), to help them out. Not only is she going to steal her dad’s (Ron Eldard…HEY! He played the romantic lead in an obscure Phoebe Cates movie called Drop Dead Fred! AND a doomed astronaut in Deep Impact!) car, and drive them to their shooting location, she also agrees to play a character in the movie.

While filming the rehearsal, all the boys develop a crush on Alice, but they are distracted by the impending train explosion, which takes approximately 30 minutes to finish. And is shown from about a million angles. And does not dis-able their unfortunately parked stolen car, despite the fact that the car was clearly in the path of the derailing train, and despite the fact that it is clearly shown being showered with fiery twisted metal. In fact, they are able to pop into the car and drive off without any of the Air Force guys stopping them or shooting their tires out, even though the kids take their time rummaging through the crash site and picking up interesting metal cubes.

Despite their luck at getting away unharmed, Colonel Nelec (Noah Emmerich) has his men take plaster casts of the tire tracks, and finds the empty film boxes. Luckily for the kids, he is a stupid colonel and makes all kinds of assumptions about the people who saw the crash, which buys them some time.

People, pets, microwaves, and car engines start disappear-ing. Joe’s dad (Kyle Chandler) practices being a terrible parent in between attempting to fill the shoes of the missing Sheriff while poking at the Air Force guys every chance he gets. Really, Mr. Lamb, you should trust the shady government dudes on a secret mission in your town.

The kids continue to film their movie, incorporating the Air Force presence into the film to raise production values, al-though how they managed to get their hands on a child-sized version of the Air Force uniform, including blue beret, remains an off-screen secret. After a little poking around, the kids, lack-ing only a Mystery Machine, easily discover the source of all the spooky goings on. Too bad the Air Force discovers them! Not that it matters, be-cause in order for the plot to advance the kids need to get away from the military.

Which they do, amidst some nicely framed shots of tanks rolling though playgrounds and military guys firing automatic weapons in the suburbs. Despite the push to declare Super 8 a next generation E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial, it’s not quite there. At least we get to see the final version of the kid’s zombie film over the closing credits.

This Independence Day weekend, hoist “Old Glory,” put on your red, white and blue and join the North Carolina Symphony for an evening of free music and fireworks on Friday, July 1, at 8 p.m. at Festival Park, located at the corner of Ray and Rowan streets in historic down-town Fayetteville.

Come celebrate our nation’s 235th birthday under the stars as guest con-ductor Sarah Ioannides leads the North Carolina Symphony and tenor Adam Ulrich through a program of selected favorites, ranging from classical composi-tions and arrangements of musicals to American jazz and patriotic tunes.

“The program is a lot of fun,” said Jeannie Mellinger, director of communica-tions for the North Carolina Symphony. “It’s very familiar music, patriotic favor-ites, the toe-tapping kinds of things that people love to listen to around the 4th of July.”

Among the tunes the audience will enjoy are “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a Duke Ellington Medley, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “The Sound of Music: A Symphonic Picture,” as well as the “Semper Fidelis March” and a salute to the Armed Forces. Additionally, Ulrich will perform a selection of pieces, including “La Donna e mobile” from Rigoletto and “American Anthem.”

Ulrich, a native of New York and an alumnus of the UNC School of the Arts and the A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute, is making his North Carolina Symphony debut under the direction of acclaimed guest conductor Ioannides, music director of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the Spartanburg (S.C.) Philharmonic Orchestra since 2005, and recognized by the League of American Orchestras as one of the nation’s top emerging conductors.

“Sarah Iaonnides is one of the truly up-and-coming rising stars in the conducting world,” Mellinger said.

According to her website, Australian-born Iaonnides has been described “by the New York Times as a conductor with ‘unquestionable strength and authority,’” and “has received outstanding press for her innovative program-ming and creative artistic leadership with world premieres, vibrant multime-dia productions and stunning performances.” As a guest conductor, she has directed top orchestras, symphonies and ensembles on five continents, and she is looking forward to her engagement with the North Carolina Symphony this 4th of July weekend.

“I’m delighted to celebrate this magnificent American holiday with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra!” said Iaonnides. “We will offer a panoramic glimpse into the country highlighting the vision and optimism of the American spirit through classic American music. I find the history of American music fascinating with its rich diversity and have included selections from film, Broadway, jazz, sport, military marches, spiritual and patriotic Americana. We will also feature composers whose nationalities have come to join the wonderful melting pot of America. Adam Ulrich, a versatile young tenor with whom I’m excited to work, will play an integral role in the concert performing a mix of popular songs, and we also invite the audience to sing along to the Sound of Music. I truly look forward to a festive evening!”

And what better venue for a free concert with fireworks during our nation’s 235th birthday celebration than in a city noted for its History, Heroes and Hometown Feeling? 

For more information, visit www.ncsymphony.org or call 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

Photo: Acclaimed guest conductor Sarah Iaonnides has put together an enter-taining program for the July 1 concert. 

Uncle Sam’s birthday is fast approaching, and that only means one thing — it’s almost time for thegreatest fireworks show of the year at J.P. Riddle Stadium.

Sure, this would be a perfect place for a metaphor for something about lots of baseballs flying out of the ballpark for the Fayetteville SwampDogs, but we’re actu-ally talking about real fireworks to celebrate the birthday of the red, white, and blue. It’s the annual Independence Day fireworks show at J.P. Riddle, and it’s part of the Fayetteville SwampDogs All-Star Summer of Fun.

Tickets for the July 3 game against the Wilson Tobs are scarce, which includes the tribute to honor America and the fireworks extrava-ganza of the summer, following the game. But there are plenty of chances to see your SwampDogs in action this week as they battle Florence and Morehead City for the first-half divi-sion title.

On Thursday, come help the SwampDogs go “green” at their fourth annual Green Night as the Edenton Steamers make their only trip to Fayetteville. The first 500 fans will receive a reusable tote bag courtesy of Fayetteville PWC, FAMPO and Restore Warehouse. It’s also Methodist night, so wear your green as part of Green Night to show your support for the Monarchs.

Keeping with the theme, Friday is Recycle Night presented by DEX. The first 500 fans into the ballpark for the game against the Columbia Blowfish will receive a logo baseball courtesy of DEX, and any fan that brings their DEX phonebook to the ballpark will be entered into a prize drawing. It’s also Opening Night Part II, with tons of games and prizes to celebrate the start of the second half of the season.

Then on Sunday it’s all about celebrating the birth of America. Gates open at 5 p.m. for the special 7:05 p.m. start time against Wilson, so get to the park early to celebrate everything that is the 4th of July.

There’s no better place to celebrate Independence Day — or any other beautiful summer evening — than with the Fayetteville SwampDogs as part of the All-Star Summer of Fun at J.P. Riddle Stadium.

Photo: There’s no better place to celebrate Independence Day — or any other beautiful summer evening — than with the Fayetteville SwampDogs.

An agency of the state of North Carolina recently held a ludicrous meeting.

Yes, I know that’s not particularly news-worthy. It’s a safe bet that on every week-day, and more than a few weekends, state government convenes or hosts at least one meeting that wastes the time of its partici-pants and the money of the taxpayers.

But the meeting to which I refer, a state regulatory hearing about potential hospital expansion in Wake County, is a particularly egregious case. The hearing, just outside the state capitol in the Garner Historic Auditorium, featured a series of hospital lobbyists and executives trying to obtain state permission to open or expand hospitals in fast-growing areas of the county.

WakeMed, a private nonprofit that used to be a county-owned hospital, is one of the bidders. Rex Hospital, which used to be a private nonprofit but is now owned by the state, is another bidder. Novant Health, a Winston-Salem nonprofit that owns 13 hospitals across four states, is the third bidder.

Why can’t these competing institutions simply make their own decision about where to invest in new hospital capacity, weighing the costs and benefits according to their own projections and business strategies? Because the state of North Carolina won’t let them. North Carolina still utilizes a certificate-of-need system to authorize new hospital beds and other medical services.

Rather like Bulgarian shoe companies and Romanian food processors once had to do, North Carolina’s hospitals have to submit their ideas to gov-ernment officials, who then get to decide whether those ideas are consistent with a central plan.

In this case, reports the Raleigh News & Observer, the state has “determined that Wake County needs 101 new hospital beds over the next several years to keep up with increasing demand and the growing population.”

Really? How can the state’s hospital commissars be sure that the true need isn’t 104 beds or 97 beds? And if they predict incorrectly, who pays the price?

I suppose I could write a lengthy ex-planation of why central planning is a poor way of making medical decisions. I could point out that states without certificate-of-need laws do just fine, and that there is no empirical support for the assertion that certificate-of-need regulation improves the quality or reduces the cost of medical services.

I could — but that would be redundant. My JLF colleagues Roy Cordato and Joe Coletti have already explored these is-sues in great depth.

So I’ll just say this: If you think that the best way to decide who should build new hospitals, and where, is to entrust the decision to a heavily lob-bied state agency rather than competitive markets, you and I live in very different worlds.

In mine, it is the year 2011 and Soviet-style central plan-ning is on the outs. In what world do you reside?

Photo: North Carolina still utilizes a certificate-of-need system to authorize new hos-pital beds and other medical services. 

What is North Carolina’s most widely available summer pleasure that we often pass by without partaking?

It is the bounty of delicious fresh foods that are available throughout the state all summer long.

I have been spoiled by the year-round availability and wide selection of fruits and vegetables at our grocery stores. So I sometimes forget how much better foods are when they are fresh from the field, tree or vine.

Then somebody shares a fresh-picked ripe strawberry, peach or tomato.

And I remember joyously the pleasures of in-season eating.

This year I have help. It comes from four new books from food experts who celebrate the value of farm-fresh eating. Each author takes a little bit different approach to getting the food from farm to table.

Award winning chef Andrea Reusing organizes her recipes and advice by seasons of the year. Sara Foster catalogues her fa-vorite recipes and stories by types of dishes, from hors d’oeuvres to sweets. Watauga County native Sheri Castle puts her collec-tion of recipes in separate chapters for about 40 vegetables and fruits. They are in A to Z order from apples to zucchini. Finally, travel writer Diane Daniel organizes by geographical location the farms, markets, restaurants and other places where we can find and buy in-season fresh vegetables and fruit.

We will take up the Reusing’s and Foster’s books in this column and follow up next week with a discussion of those by Castle and Daniel.

Andrea Reusing owns the acclaimed Chapel Hill restaurant Lantern, one of the former Gourmet Magazine’s Top Fifty restaurants. Her Cooking In The Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes takes its readers through every season, showing how to shop for and prepare the variety of local foods that are avail-able in North Carolina during different times of the year. Reusing’s restaurant is known for its complex Asian-inspired flavors. There is some of that influence in the recipes in her book.

But, for the most part, the foods and the directions are simple and designed to take advantage of what is fresh and available. I loved her great advice about my favorite food, the tomato: “The secret to eating great tomatoes all summer long lies not in which variety — but in watching them — making space for them to lie flat someplace cool near the kitchen, checking them daily, eating the ones that need eating and continuously making plans for the ones that are getting there. Even tomatoes that are picked ripe need a little time out at room temperature to reach their peak flavor. It is shocking how long it can take even a just slightly firm tomato to get there … and how fast a perfect one rots.”

Many folks in the Research Triangle area know Sara Foster for the wonderful food and fellowship at Foster’s Market in Durham and Chapel Hill. Fans throughout the country admire her as a communicator about southern foods, wonderful teacher, and author of lovely and understandable cooking books.

She grew up in Tennessee in the country surrounded by family and other rural and small-town characters and family. Her recipes reflect southern-cooking traditions familiar to North Carolinians.

Foster also worked for and with Martha Stewart. The elegant photography to illustrate the recipes, the photos and stories about old-time, home-cooking restaurants throughout the South, and the overall presentation of the book show that Foster knows how to produce a product Martha Stewart-style. As a result, when you have finished look-ing through her book, you will want to stand up and give an ovation for the production.