Around Town: Free Carrboro

August 28, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Around Town

Because there is too such thing as a free lunch! - Carrboro's Really Really Free Market

Carrboro celebrates its 10th Annual Really Really Free Market Festival on Saturday, October 4th in the Town Commons. Besides the bounty of freebies, the day-long event will showcase live bands, puppeteers, workshops, a DJ, games and installations. Also, The Recyclery will be tuning up and restoring bicycles to give away. For updates check out reallyfreecarrboro.info

For folks who have yet to attend a Really Really Free Market event, it's true, nothing is for sale. Folks congregate ready to give away a rainbow of goods (groceries, furniture, prepared foods, music, tires, clothing) and skills/services (auto repair, carpentry and haircuts). The events begin at 2 p.m. the first Saturday of each month at the Carrboro Town Commons.

It's worth the visit.

(photograph taken at Carrboro Town Commons)

Have a Drink, See Double

August 26, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Going one way ...

Then back the other ...

(photograph taken outside The Blue Horn Lounge, 125 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill)

Honeysuckle Tea House

Honeysuckle Teahouse

August 24, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Imagine the scent of fresh herbs and aged pine, paired with the taste of ambrosial hibiscus tea. Then add the hum of scores of pollinating bees. Feast for body, soul and mind. "The standard reaction is awe of the natural landscape, the beauty, the feeling one gets from being here," says Dana, a community herbalist.

The Honeysuckle Tea House is an open air structure evocative of Indonesia, located in the Chapel Hill countryside on a 16-acre farm about 20 minutes from downtown. Built to be a community gathering place, the tea house grows its own culinary and medicinal herbs, berries and mushrooms that are used in its teas, smoothies and kombuchas -- a drink with anecdotal health benefits made from fermenting sweetened black or green tea with bacteria and yeast.

"This country had been rich in herbal medicine," he says. "It's just been lost. It's more popular in other parts of the world."

The tea house is built on repurposed shipping containers not only to bolster the structure, but to cultivate edible mushrooms used for medicinal purposes. Designed with a sylvan charm, it features timber shelving and tables made from 100-year-old pine, woody scent still clings. The hut-like house is surrounded by vistas of the farm: garden beds spilling over with herbs, a wooden outdoor stage, clusters of picnic tables, a bridge traversing a pond, and a natural playground for children.

Besides selling beverages and local bites, the tea house offers live music, tea-making workshops and herbal consultations. It too accepts the Plenty, the piedmont local economy tender.

"Last September this was flat," Dana says, looking out at farm as if in wonder. "It was just a field."

In a world that can be filled with chaos and routine, the Honeysuckle Tea House is a welcomed escape. Best part, no passport necessary.

(photographs taken at 8871 Pickards Meadow Rd in Chapel Hill)

The Universal Welcome

August 23, 2014 by onfranklin&main in On the Street

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”

— Phyllis Diller

(photograph taken near Columbia/Franklin Streets in Chapel Hill)

Pull Out All the Stops

August 22, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Drive down yonder, about 12 minutes or six miles from downtown Carrboro, and enter a another world. No sidewalk coffee shops, no traffic. The town of White Cross retains much of its endearing rural nature. It's where century-old homes still stand and a volunteer fire station keeps watch over the town. But change occurs. The town's elementary school now houses the NC Writer's Workshop, and conventional farming has gone organic. Carrboro/Chapel Hill artists like to live in this community for its bucolic beauty and proximity to the sister cities. Despite its evolution, one thing remains constant: tractor pulling. The 18th annual White Cross Tractor Pull competition lures folks across neighboring towns to the White Cross Recreation Center. They converge alongside a baseball field to watch competitors -- from as far away as Florida -- on a McCormick Farmall pull a weighted sledge (looks like a modified truck trailer) down a dusty orange field.

As part of this motorsport, tractors in distinct classes pull the sledge with a designated weight. If a tractor completes the length of the 300-foot track, it's dubbed a "full pull." If more than one tractor achieves the course, additional weight is added. Drivers exceeding 300 feet go on to a pull-off. The winner pulls the sledge the farthest. "It ain't how fast you go, it's how far you go," announces emcee, Terry.

He's perched on a truck trailer bejeweled with a black and white umbrella and cardboard boxes of shiny gold-colored trophies. Behind the chain link fence, kids wear oversized ear protectors, fingertips hide beneath sticky ketchup, and heads bow for an opening prayer. Tractor pulling tugs along its own culture.

The event itself is somewhat slow, yet steady lasting from supper through the starlit sky. But it's Terry who seems to steal the show and illustrate its heritage. Here are a few of his lines:

- He's supposed to be at App State. I'd rather be at a tractor pull than at school. But you all know me.

- Get a can of beans and get in free. Can't beat that!

- We have some gun raffle tickets for sale. Five dollars. As long as you are qualified to own a handgun.

- That's tight pulling folks!

- I don't know who's going to win, but a tractor's going to win that class.

- I'd like to thank these girls here. They keep it straight...Controlled chaos here.

- My Weber looks like he's trying to get it on...all the way down the track.

(photographs taken in White Cross, NC)

"Submarine" Trenton

August 21, 2014 by onfranklin&main

"At night, when it was completely black, no one was around you and you can pretty much reach into the stars," Trenton reminisces."There were just moments when you were away from everything for so long with minimal communication with the outside world. And you'd catch these glimpses when we'd surface the boat." Last month, Trenton completed a six-year duty with the US Navy. He returned home to Charlotte from his station near Jacksonville, FL. Trenton was a periscope operator on a submarine. On a whim, he decided to accompany a friend to her job interview in Chapel Hill. His memory of his tour remains vivid.

"Everyday we'd see the sunlight though the periscope. We'd have to go to the periscope and do our sweeps to make sure no one was around. Then we'd come up and we'd go swimming, grill on the boat, smoke cigars, shoot guns," Trenton says, voice heartfelt. "It was pretty awesome actually. It's very hard to put into words."

I remark on the dedication he has to his friend, to drive from Charlotte to Chapel Hill after returning home from a long voyage.

"I've seen a good bit," he says with a sigh. "It makes impulsively traveling to Chapel Hill seem like a short journey. "

post script: Ari, the greyhound in the previous post, belongs to Trenton

(photograph taken on Columbia/Franklin streets near Ben & Jerry's in Chapel Hill)

"Alcohol-Related Incident" Ari

August 20, 2014 by onfranklin&main in On the Street

Name: Ari. "Short for for Alcohol-Related Incident. She was our first baby and we said we would probably have our first baby as a result of an alcohol-related incident," quips owner Trenton. Seen: Near the corner of Columbia and Franklin Streets, across from Ben & Jerry's in Chapel Hill

Breed: Greyhound

Age: 5

Pet Peeve: "When others get a little frisky with her she doesn't like it... She's a prude," says Trenton.

Interesting fact: Greyhounds spend about 18 hours of the day sleeping.

(photograph taken near the corner of Columbia/Franklin Streets in Chapel Hill)

Around Town: Making a Mark, Leaving a Paper Trail

Forest Theatre

August 19, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Paperhand Puppet Intervention's alluring puppets put even a passerby in a trance. The craftsmanship, the detail, the enormity, the kick of color. These soaring puppets are catching a break backstage prior to a rousing 2-hour performance set to a live ensemble. The production stars the elusive Painted Bird and his woodland friends -- the mice, the rabbits, the hedgehogs, and a mole -- at the open air Forest Theatre in Chapel Hill. Peek around the stage's cobblestone backdrop and see a pre-show audience spellbound by a musician drumming, yes with a pair of ornate sticks, on a giant gourd-like guitar. Kids climbing rocky theatre architecture, friends chortling during a wine toast, couples with fingers intertwined and eyes entranced.

Don't let this show fly by. Paperhand Puppet Intervention's The Painted Bird runs every weekend at the Forest Theatre through September 14. Be an early bird for best seats. And pack a picnic lunch to share with your seatmates.

(photographs taken at The Forest Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC)

Along for the Ride

August 16, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Around Town

Spotted this British beauty on UNC's campus this week. The Carolina blue Morris Motors vehicle in pristine shape was on view and in tow in a lot near the Carolina Inn. Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company that was subsequently incorporated into larger corporations. The Morris brand name remained until 1984 when British Leyland’s Austin Rover Group shifted its focus to the popular Austin brand.

Railroad stations often used these vehicles for luggage and petty shipments, hence the name "station wagon." Typically those with wood trim in the rear portion of the car were referred to as a "woodie." In the 1960s & 1970s, California surfers were drawn to Morris vehicles because they were cheap and could cram a bunch of people and surfboards making the "woodie" the vehicle most commonly associated with a surfer.

(photograph taken near West Cameron Avenue & Ransom Street in Chapel Hill)

Signing Off

August 15, 2014 by onfranklin&main

(photograph taken DB Sutton 406 W Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC)

"No days off" Garrett

August 14, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

"I don't always wear my hair like this," says Garrett. "It's a lot more breezy and just cooler than wearing a hat over it." The 22 year-old is on Franklin Street looking for a bite to eat on his way to work. He's wearing a black Jimmy John's t-shirt and carrying a matching visor. Garrett has three restaurant jobs: Weathervane (server), BIN 54 (expediter) and Jimmy John's. And "never" gets a day off. He's planning on heading back to university to study sports management after getting back on his feet.

"Went two years and pissed away an academic scholarship," he says. "I didn't go to class. I didn't realize how I messed up. I'm very fortunate to be able to go back to school."

What was his parents' reaction?

"[My parents] don't want me working three jobs for the rest of my life."

(photograph taken near Franklin & Mallette streets in Chapel Hill)

A Cold Fish

August 12, 2014 by onfranklin&main

More than 20 years later, faded traces of Scott Stewart's Fishing Village (1993) chinoiserie-like mural remain in the alley alongside the building that houses Jade Palace restaurant in Carrboro. Stewart also painted the wall on the east corner of the building, abutting the restaurant. That mural no longer exists. It was painted over twice. Once with a controversial artwork in 2002 that featured a patchwork of art squares by local businesses. The other, still stands rich in color. It's called The Strowd Roses Community Mural designed in 2009 by Emily Weinstein and showcases the Chinese zodiac.

(photograph taken on Main Street in Carrboro)

Paint the Town Red

August 11, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Local artist Michael Brown -- best known for his murals scattered throughout Chapel Hill/Carrboro -- partnered with elementary school students for his latest installation. The bold 3-D paint brush streaks red paint across the facade of the newly constructed Shortbread Lofts building on Rosemary Street. A former elementary school math teacher himself, Brown collaborated with fifth graders at Northside Elementary School to create the magnificent piece, crafted from sheet metal.

(photograph taken at 333 W. Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill)

"Gypsy" Kaya

August 10, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Freight trains or hitchhiking. "That's exactly how I determine where I end up next," says Kaya.

Rail or thumb is how Kaya travels. Her latest pit stop on the road to everywhere is Chapel Hill. "It's alright here. It's a sweet little town. I like the youth, the healthy lifestyle. This place has a vibrance," she says as she paces around a tree on Franklin Street.

The striking 22-year-old with a carefree attitude emigrated with her family from Jamaica to New York City when she was seven. She started roving the country on a whim, oftentimes with a friend, always with her kitten Niah. Kaya picked up the exhausted stray kitten during a stint in Charleston, South Carolina and keeps her on a leash. "She was hiding from the rain," she says.

Kaya's goal is to be self sustainable while on the road. And admits she's not always in touch via email or Facebook, or with family. "I don't think anyone can keep up with the fact that I'm constantly moving... I'll continue traveling forever."

(photographs taken near the corner of Franklin/Colombia streets in Chapel Hill)

Little Bunny Foo Foo

August 08, 2014 by onfranklin&main

The whimsical white bunnies anonymously sprang up on the wall alongside The Beehive in downtown Carrboro in 2013. While the salon has been host to graffiti in the past, this art appealed to the staff and has acted as the hair shop's beacon since. Somehow, the rabbit colony has managed to stick it out despite the gradually flaking decals.

(photograph taken between Main/Greensboro streets on Weaver Street in Carrboro)

Street Crossing: Peace Offering

August 06, 2014 by onfranklin&main in On the Street

(photograph taken at 1:21 pm Tuesday, 08/05/14 on Franklin & Columbia Streets in Chapel Hill)

Takes the Cake

Sugarland

August 05, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Sugarland's entryway seems to garner as much attention as its rainbow of sinful cupcakes. Often photographed, the tiered cake tiled underfoot unwittingly lures passersby.

Artist Erick Davis of Carrboro was commissioned by owner Katrina Ryan to handcraft the show-stopping piece. It took him nearly 200 hours, with minimal breaks.

Much of the recycled materials in his art are remnants of broken dishes from local eateries and coffee shops. His work is sprinkled throughout the sister cities. The ornate egg perched on the fork between Main & Rosemary streets (in front of Jesse's Coffee & Bar) in Carrboro is his. Beyond city limits, his woodland creatures wrap boulders in Briar Chapel, the development off 15-501 in Chapel Hill. Over the county line in Pittsboro, he created the mosaic alongside the General Store Cafe (now the Pittsboro Roadhouse) in Chatham County.

(photographs taken at Sugarland on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)

"Street Artist" Christopher

August 03, 2014 by onfranklin&main in Street Portraits

Eyes squinting, Christopher is holding up his phone in front of a yellow street can streaked in black spray paint. "I was taking a picture. I never do that. It's always gone so fast." He points to the outline of a flower on the pavement. The cylindrical can takes on the form of the flower's seed head. "I painted this. Like the flower is budding. It was spontaneous. I just like to include what's already there...I used Rustoleum."

The 23-year-old from Raleigh has been living in Carrboro about three months. He is boyish and farouche, which to some, might contradict his appearance: relaxed threads, a slim 1980s skateboard and a matchstick in his left ear. He's in town to "check out the scene"...and leave his mark.

Does he know this is destruction of property? To him, it's art. Has he been caught? "Not yet, knock on wood."

But as we talk, a dark cloud emerges overhead... and he does talk about getting caught again, but this time not by authorities.

"I was hoping to get caught in the rain," he says. "It feels nice."

(photographs taken off of Greensboro near the railroad tracks in Carrboro, note: Christopher gave his approval to publish on this site)

On the Street: Patton Flag

August 01, 2014 by onfranklin&main

“Now I want you to remember that ...”

— George C. Scott's first line as General Patton in the movie "Patton" (1971)

A "Patton" American flag -- reminiscent of the iconic opening scene in the oft-quoted film -- backdrops Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom outdoor stage in Carrboro. The stage is tucked in the lot behind the restaurant and is one of two dozen indoor/outdoor venues for the Carrboro Music Festival. This year's 17th annual event takes over downtown on Sunday, September 28, with about 180 performing acts showcasing a spectrum of musical styles. A kick-off is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, at the Cat's Cradle Back Room.

(photograph taken behind Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom located on Main/Greensboro streets in Carrboro)

Paint Yourself into a Corner

USPS

July 31, 2014 by onfranklin&main

Illustrations in Cosmopolitan, Redbook and American Weekly. Ads for Coca-Cola, Seagrams and Palmolive Soap. Murals in New York's Rockefeller Center, the Los Angeles Public Library and ... Chapel Hill's U.S. Post Office? Dean Cornwell (1887-1960), dubbed by Norman Rockwell as the "Dean of Illustrators," was an accomplished commercial illustrator whose artwork appeared in magazines, books, ads and posters across the nation. Here in Chapel Hill, his mural "Laying the Cornerstone of Old East" (completed in 1941) still stretches above the postmaster's door inside the post office on Franklin Street. The piece portrays an historic event in the construction of the University of North Carolina -- the nation's first public university chartered in 1789 and opened to students in 1795.

The mural depicts General William Richardson Davie, known as "the father of the university," directing the laying of the cornerstone of UNC's East Building (now a residence hall) on April 12, 1793. The cornerstone is a stone set in a masonry foundation which determines the position of a building. Five years later, Davie went on to serve as a governor of North Carolina (1798-1799). He is the man in the orange coat holding a trowel.

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