"Film Lives On" Richard & Dee

July 28, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Richard is taking in Chapel Hill through a tourist lens. He's a photography teacher from Vancouver, Washington who is in town with wife Dee visiting their sons and grandchildren. Coincidentally, the duo has a penchant for exploring college towns documenting architecture, landmarks and exhibits and are eager to check out the Charles Kuralt Learning Center* at UNC.

"Everyone is a photographer if they think about it," Richard says.

"Or has a phone," Dee adds.

Any photography advice? "Bring an extra photo card...and buy a spare film camera. This shift to digital photography has thrown me for a loop. I tell my students that they get more out of film...Film isn't dead."

"That's his slogan," Dee says, conceding she's heard this line several times before. "Film isn't dead."

*The exhibit of Emmy & Peabody award-winning journalist Charles Kuralt is on view at the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Kuralt delivered the CBS "On the Road" series in the late 1960s as part of a Walter Cronkite segment. The Wilmington native attended UNC from 1951-1954 and was once editor of The Daily Tarheel. He died in 1997 at the age of 62 and is buried in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery on the UNC campus next to his wife Suzanna. Prior to Suzanna's death in 1999, she donated the contents of her husband's Manhattan office to the school. Kuralt's office, which donned oriental rugs, Emmy & Peabody awards, and a brick fireplace, is meticulously recreated in Carroll Hall.

(photographs taken on Franklin & Henderson streets)

"Wiggle & Hop" Kelly

July 23, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

From Burlington via Durham, Kelly is in town for a doctor's appointment and decides to stick around. "It's eclectic here. More of the open-minded cities in North Carolina," she says of Carrboro. "This is more progressive than anywhere else other than Asheville. There's actually culture here as well."

Kelly is a music junkie who swings from the Grateful Dead to her latest hook, electronic music. "I dig it and I love to dance. I can dance right now. I'm going to see Beck on Friday and I'm about to lose my shit over it!"

Her signature move? "I wiggle and hop. I call it the hippie jam dance. It's like becoming a tree. It's repetitive and I like it."

(photographs taken on Lloyd and Main streets Carrboro)

Bynum Nostalgia

July 21, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Channelling modern-day Norman Rockwell at the Bynum General Store in Bynum, NC.

Once anchored by a cotton mill (shell remains), Bynum was a bustling community with an active general store, movie theatre and school. Today, most folks know the small village set along the banks of the Haw River as the home to critter artist Clyde Jones and his painted wooden creations spotted on porches and lawns throughout town.

On Friday evenings, Bynum swells when families flock to take in the free concerts as part of the Bynum Front Porch Friday Night Music Series. The concerts occur throughout the summer in an outdoor venue wedged between The General Store (now used as a community center) and a vacant building.

Bynum is about a 20-minute drive from Chapel Hill/Carrboro.

A Clyde Jones critter is raffled at the Bynum Front Porch Friday Night Music Series.

(photographs taken at The General Store in Bynum, NC)

Street Portrait: Tyler & "Cruisin'" Charles

July 20, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Tyler (left) is from Virginia beach. His mother moved here for a job. Charles (right) is from Chapel Hill, born and raised.

The two are often together. "I make sure he does get what he need. Everybody needs somebody. I choose him. He's trying to make something of himself."

Tyler, 19, would like to get a truck so that he could get a job and save some money. He yearns to be a photographer one day. He recently was kicked out of his mother's apartment. "It was just time to go," he says then looks over at Charles and grins: "He my daddy, I guess you can see. He took me off the street. He provide."

Like Tyler, Charles has aspirations. Tyler jokes Charles is headed to a retirement facility.

"Ha!," Charles tosses his head back. "Ain't going to be in a retirement home. I got one more year. Take me a cruise."

"To where?" I ask.

"Wherever it's going to take me... All I know it's gonna be seven days and seven nights."

(photographs taken on Franklin street between Columbia and Henderson streets in Chapel Hill)

Looking Up at the Lumina Theatre

July 18, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Around Town, On the Street

Feel like someone's watching as you enter the Lumina Theatre in Southern Village? Turns out the silhouette of the dapper couple perched atop the theater's neon sign is not original art as some might have suspected. The couple and the other two vignettes are prefab sculptures added several years ago to add charm to the village, according to Southern Village Bryan Properties management. The Lumina Theatre opened in 2000 in the town center of Southern Village, which has been dubbed "the new old town" and lauded for its new urbanism design.

(photographs taken at the Lumina Theatre in Southern Village in Chapel Hill)

Around Town: Willie Watson

Cat's Cradle

July 17, 2014 by onfranklin&main in On the Street

One man. Two string instruments. And a slew of strumming ditties.

Willie Watson hypnotized a standing room of folks with a crisp tenor voice and dancing fingers -- armed only with a worn banjo and rhythm guitar. The former member of Old Crow Medicine Show rocked a sold-out show with an encore performance at the Cat's Cradle last night (July 16). Watson, who at one point called the outskirts of Boone home, is on tour supporting his solo album Folk Singer Vol.1.

The photo above was taken as Watson finished his cigarette and walked by the queue of people to get on stage.

(photograph taken at Cat's Cradle on Main Street in Carrboro)

A Peek into Mailbox No.147

USPS

July 16, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Around Town

Vintage mailboxes are still in operation at the Chapel Hill downtown branch of the United States Post Office. A look inside mailbox number 147 reveals an active manual postal system. Small P.O. boxes (as shown) rent for $31 for six months. The post office building, which also houses the courthouse and teen center, is located on 179 East Franklin Street.

(photographs taken at U.S. Post Office, downtown Chapel Hill branch on Franklin Street)

Post-Apocalyptic Feeling on Franklin Street

July 15, 2014 by onfranklin&main

A pair of murals along the walls of the Cosmic Cantina depict what could be a post-apocalyptic Franklin Street. Perhaps its the near-blinding fulvous canvas that adds to the ominous feeling. Or is it the brooding moon? One thing's less disputable, the paintings mimic a barren Franklin Street both to the east and west of the bargain burrito joint.

The nameless piece was painted by former UNC-CH student James Briley about four years ago, according to restaurant staff.

(photograph taken at Cosmic Cantina on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)

"Cool in General" Allison & Preetha

July 14, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Someone on Main Street catcalls from a car. Allison (left), 20, looks over her shoulder and simpers. She and Preetha (right), 21, seem to have shared many of these goofy moments. They were suite-mates at UNC-CH freshman year, and have remained close friends. "I couldn't get rid of her," Allison quips.

Preetha, who is from Connecticut, studies environmental health science and volunteers at the Carrboro Farmers' Market. Allison, who is from Charlotte, is studying communications-English-history. But that was not her original choice.

P: "Alison wanted to be a director. She knows a lot about tv shows. A lot of recommendations. Told me new shows I should try. She got me watching Fringe and I love it."

A: "I forgot! TV and movies are essentially all I talked about...Preetha volunteers an impressive amount as you can see by her shirt (reads Carrboro Farmer's Market). Very involved in the community and I admire her immensely.... Preetha is sweet. The base of sweetness."

P: "Allison is funny and a REALLY good storyteller."

When they first met they were more reserved than they are today, Allison remarks. What made them less reserved? "College. You widen your horizons," she says, then adds, deadpan: "Plus we're both really cool in general."

(photograph taken on Main Street between Lloyd & Rosemary streets in Carrboro)

"Peace & Love" Michael

July 13, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Michael calls himself a drifter.

He's from Hillsborough and says he was dropped off in Carrboro by a parent. The 18-year-old spends much of his time "floating around" and hanging out with friends. Today he's in town to meet a couple of buddies for a concert: Distort the Fluff. "It's distorted psychedelic music. People think it's off beat, but it's kind of the point of it. It's pretty good. A lot of people don't like it because it's really grimy music. A lot of people think it's really shitty. But my friend plays in the band so I'm going to support him."

He is walking down Main Street in Carrboro puffing on a cigarette when I meet up with him. Michael is friendly in a soft-spoken way and quick to oblige. Says most folks are swift to pass judgement when they see him.

"I get a lot of sour faces. I guess I look sketchy. It's just my style. But I'm really friendly. I'm about peace and love."

(photographs taken on Main Street between Lloyd & Rosemary streets in Carrboro)

"Supermoon" Evening Tonight

Fearrington Village

July 12, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Tonight's full moon will appear unusually big and up to 30% more brilliant. It will be the first of three "supermoons" this summer: July 12, August 10, September 9.

This phenomenon occurs when a full moon coincides with the "perigee moon," meaning the moon orbits closer to the earth causing it to appear larger. The "supermoon" effect can be magnified if you view the moon near a horizon or through foreground objects such as trees or buildings.

The photographs of Fearrington Village's towering whirligigs by self-taught artist Vollis Simpson of Lucama, NC. Simpson's work also appeared in the 1996 Olympics, New York City storefronts (Bergdorf Goodman department store), museums, backyards and offices. He worked in his shop daily until six months before his death in May 2013. He was 94. The community is collecting funds to erect a Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in historic downtown Wilson, NC.

(photographs taken at the entrance of Fearrington Village in Pittsboro on Friday July 11, the eve of the "supermoon.")

"Hugger" Jett (service dog) & Gwen

July 11, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Disposition: He is calm in public, but when he is not working "there is a freak on the other side that you have to unwind," says Gwen.

Age: 6 years. Jett has been with Gwen for 4 years. He was adopted from a shelter and went through 14 months of intense training. "He is very smart..he taught me."

Pet Peeve: "Being left by himself. He likes to go everywhere."

Favorite Eats: Kibble and cat treats. "He goes into restaurants so he can't have people food."

Sleeps: In bed with Gwen.

Best trick: "He gives hugs. He climbs on you and leans on you."

Could he be pet? "As long as he has the vest you do not pet him. It's actually a federal law not to pet a service dog. (Gwen chuckles) You would not want your seeing eye dog distracted when you are trying to cross the street."

(photographed near Weaver & Greensboro streets in Carrboro)

"Eccentric Curmudgeon" Gary

Surplus Sid

July 10, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

"Say cheese and condoms!" Gary says through his mischievous grin as I snap his photo. "See, by the time you say condoms they're already smiling."

Worked on me. Except I was the one behind the camera. "Is that your line or did you get that from someone?" I ask.

"That's mine. You know every once in a while a little freezer opens up in the brain and something leaks out. Sometimes it leaks onto the floor. This one I was able to catch and it stuck."

Gary, 66, is a jovial man with a kooky sense of humor. He is missing his right eye from a golfing accident (ball shot through his eyeglass lens into his eye). The accident seems to have left him with an uncanny Popeye expression when provoked. As he straightens the bric-a-brac at Surplus Sids where he works, he pauses to pose in a portfolio of positions: the cool guy, "The Thinker" by Rodin, the "I told you so" look.

"When you become my age you can get away with a lot of shit. The only reason I decided to get older was to be an eccentric curmudgeon," he says, matter-of-factly.

(photographs taken outside Sids Surplus on Main Street in Carrboro)

Pixelated

July 09, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Muralist Michael Brown created this pixelated wall in the mid-1990s with remnant paint from other projects. He encouraged volunteers to create their own color blends to add to the myriad of dizzying squares. Unlike most of his other works, Brown went abstract for this vertiginous piece. Inspired by folk art, "Quilt" is draped along the wall of Walt's Grill and can be seen from Franklin Street.

(photograph taken off of Franklin Street on S. Merritt Mill Road in Chapel Hill)

Street Portrait: "Weird Anywhere Else" Lexi & Leroy

July 08, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Packs in tow, Lexi and Leroy walk to the shelter on Rosemary Street for breakfast. "We're celebrating our anniversary," Leroy, 26, jokes. They wear their groovy urban style with confidence, revealed as they pose for pictures -- mouths agape, tongues out, arms gnarled around each other. I ask the couple if they envision life outside Chapel Hill, and Leroy says with open arms and head cocked: "Whatever the world brings me."

Lexi, 19, is a bit more risk averse: "I can't imagine being anywhere else. It would be weird living anywhere else but here."

(photograph taken on Rosemary Street and Pritchard Avenue)

Festival for the Eno: Chocolate Suede of Carrboro

July 06, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Chocolate Suede, the Carrboro-based band with a velvety rich sound, draws a shoulder-swaying crowd at the 35th Annual Festival for the Eno in Durham. The group has played around town at Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe in Chapel Hill, Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, and Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in Pittsboro. Worth checking them out.

(photographed at 35th Annual Festival for the Eno in Durham on July 5)

Faces of the Fourth

July 04, 2014 by onfranklin&main in On the Street

(photographs taken in Carrboro on Independence Day)

"I Want Caffeine" Molly

Weaver Street Market

July 03, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

At 17, Molly appears quite well-versed on the ukulele, the four-stringed instrument with a jaunty sound. Smaller than a guitar, the instrument is commonly associated with Hawaiian music. The name "ukulele" means "jumping fleas" (uku flea + lele jump) in Hawaiian likely because when strummed, the fingers mimic the movement of the jumping insects.

"It's like more of a high-pitch guitar. And it's weird like that. I sort of like that it's weird," Molly says.

Her song "I Want Caffeine" seems to resonate with the crowd clustered on the lawn listening to live music at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro. Like good coffee, her personality seems to strike the delicate balance between bold and sweet notes. This particular song, she wrote herself.

"They sort of just slap me in the face," she says. "I mean they HAVE to slap me in the face."

And yes this musician is a coffee drinker of the ice mocha variety ... "but sometimes I get something weird like a latte."

(photographed on Weaver Street between Main & Greensboro streets)

Obamahead

Roig Studio

July 02, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Sunbathing on the the front lawn of artist Mike Roig's home is perhaps one of Carrboro's most recognized modern landmarks. The 9-foot high gleaming metal sculpture with an oversized head guards the corner of Poplar and Main streets. The sculpture, which Roig calls "Looking Up" (2009), was originally intended to be a contemporary interpretation of the monolithic statues of Easter Island (Polynesia) dating back to the 1500s and characterized by large heads. However locals began to dub it "Obamahead," for its resemblance to the current president. This appealed to Roig who opted not to discourage interpretation.

(photograph taken on the corner of Poplar & Main streets in Carrboro)

"70s" Patterson

July 01, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Patterson oozes a 70s aura and appears mature beyond her years. I caught up with her while she was leafing through "The Republic of Plato" by Allan Bloom. The 17-year-old is originally from New York City (Washington Heights). She moved to Chapel Hill with her family about five years ago and attends Carolina Friends School, a private Quaker school which fosters active exploration and quiet reflection as part of its mission.

What's her goal? "To be happy."

Is she happy now? "I don't know. I haven't thought about it."

(photographed on the corner of Greensboro & Weaver streets in Carrboro)