Greensboro Daily Photo

It Takes a Village to Reenact a Battle

Those of you just joining us today, we're posting highlights of the Reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse held this weekend in Greensboro. Here we see some of the continental reenacters who were camping out at Country Park. Participants slept in small white tents. The morning of the battle, participants got up, fed their children and horses and ate around campfires before putting on uniforms and preparing for battle. Here one of the battalion leaders was briefing some of his troops as mother and child meandered about. Wonder what the little boy is thinking about his 18th century surroundings? When it comes time for him to do a school project on the Revolutionary War, he should be set. We'd love to see HIS show and tell!

If you want to know more about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, see our photo yesterday and visit the links from Ed Cone's blog. With his link to a You Tube video, he really gives you a sense of the day! Here's to sharing with our Ruby Tuesday friends!

 

Reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Court House

On this day, 229 years ago, in 1781, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse was fought in Greensboro, NC. While the British won the battle under General Cornwalis, the Americans, under General Nathaniel Greene, significantly weakened the British forces. The most famous quote from the battle by Cornwalis was, "I never saw such fighting since God made me. The Americans fought like demons." Great Britain had 93 killed and 413 wounded. The United States had 79 killed and 185 wounded.

This weekend over 400 Revolutionary War reenactors came from all over the country to participate. In addition to the actual reenactments of the battle, they had many interpretive programs teaching onlookers about the ways of life in 18th century America. From cooking to music and dancing and military life, the historical presentations was lively, engaging, and accurate. Reenacters slept in small white tents in the area of Guilford Court House National Military Park. 

When we visited early Sunday morning, we expected to see people who were frustrated and wet from the downpour this weekend. On the contrary, reenacters and interpreters were dressed, sloshing around in the mud, preparing for the day with a smile on their face. Miraculously, their small white tents seemed dry. Above we see the "red coats" preparing to march. If you missed the event this year, book mark it for next year as it is well worth attending-- and free.

 

David Caldwell Park

David Caldwell Historic Park is located on the grounds of the Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden between Hobbs and Holden Roads. According to the park's website, "(t)he Reverend Dr. David Caldwell (1725-1874) was a Presbyterian minister, a self-trained physician, and an early educator in colonial North Carolina. At this site in 1767, he opened an academy for young men. The academy produced five state governors!" 

The interpretive center, shown above, was dedicated April 20, 2007. The center is dynamic, offering several programs for people of all ages. It is believed that the property may be a wealth of history waiting to be unearthed. If you look to the right, you can see a couple out walking the trails and enjoying the warm, fall day under the sapphire blue sky.

J. Spencer Love Tennis Center

James Spencer Love, 1896- 1962, was the founder of Burlington Industries, and considered one of the most influential businessmen in North Carolina. Love built the largest manufacturing firm in the world. He built a textile empire in North Carolina and made rayon "artificial silk" a household name.

Spencer Love Tennis Center, located at 3110 Forest Lawn Drive, named for the businessman, is a public facility and used by players of all ages. Here we see a Thursday night ladies league having a blast and getting great exercise. Prices to participate in clinics, private lessons, and camps are very reasonable.

Music in the Air: Eastern Music Festival & MUSEP Concerts on Sunday

 

Summer is the perfect time for playing music outdoors in Greensboro and there are many opportunities to enjoy music for FREE! The above photo was taken on Sunday, July 12, 2009 on the Guilford College Campus. The Eastern Music Festival Student Orchestra gave a concert that through the free MUSEP series. The center of the photo features the guest conductor for that concert, Chelsea Tipton, who is originally from Greensboro.

Tomorrow's free, outdoor MUSEP concert (July 26th) will again be held at Guilford College, starting at 6pm. It is also part of the Eastern Music Festival featuring The New Familiars. Allow plenty of time to park, walk, and set up your own picnic space to enjoy while watching the concert! If you follow our link to The New Familiars'  my-space page, you will see that Sunday's FUN, GREAT, acoustic concert will be fringe-like and informal! 

Greensboro is celebrating our 30th year of free, outdoor music concerts in the summer. If you have a chance, follow the links to read more about opportunities to enjoy music this summer; it isn't too late. Of course, for those in the position to lend financial support to these well attended events, donations are greatly appreciated and can be arranged through the EMF and MUSEP websites!

Friendly Park Pool and Tennis: July 4th Swim for Cancer Event

Here we see a picture of the Fourth of July Celebration at Friendly Park Pool, a big day for their Swim-for-Cancer fundraising. Kids were bouncing around on the inflatables, supporting a good cause. As we approached the pool, we noticed a lot of Friendly Frogs walking around with pink streaks in their hair. Carrie Drees of Orrell Design volunteered her time and supplies to pink-streak hair for a small donation to Swim-for-Cancer. This was only one of many local businesses donating time and materials for the cause. We will find out at the annual City Swim Meet, which of the area club teams raised the most money for Swim-for-Cancer. 

City Meet, by the way, is held today through Saturday at Lindley Pool. We cannot say enough about the wonderful swim programs at our local community pools. Children have fun with their respective team's events; they learn to swim competitively;  they learn to fundraise for good causes; and they get plenty of great exercise. Boy do they get plenty of exercise! Backstyle, breast stroke, butterfly, free, IM, relays......

This is our contribution to Theme Thursday: Celebration! Hope you enjoyed it!

The Greensboro Arboretum: Relaxing on a Bench

If you haven't been to the Greensboro Arboretum yet this summer, please make an effort to visit. With all of the rain this spring, the gardens are in full splendor. The hydrangeas, cone flowers, bee balm, walking trails, mature trees, fountains, and open green space, make the Arboretum one of the most photogenic places in town. Take your tennis shoes as it is a great place to exercise. The women in the photo are fanning themselves and taking a break from the heat.  If you like sepia and black and white, view more photos at Aileni's site.

SWIM Greensboro

In Greensboro, summer is a time for swim meets, swim meets, and more swim meets. What a great way to stay fit while enjoying the warm summer days. The beauty of swimming is that everyone gets to compete, not just the best athletes. 

Here we see swimmers at the Eastern Invitational Swim Meet, held this past weekend at Lindley Pool. Greensboro Swimming Association has been sponsoring the meet for 54 years. Swimmers in the far lanes were in the process of swimming the individual medley after just finishing their mile event. 

Many of the Greensboro swimmers who participated in the Eastern Invitational will be back in the water tonight as Tuesday is the day for the Community Swim Association's dual meets... Greensboro Country Club, Bur-Mill, Lake Jeannette, Friendly, Green Valley, Cardinal (to name a few of the club teams)..... fun will be had by all! July 9th-11th, all 2,000 swimmers will converge on Lindley Pool for their Grand Rivalry: CITY MEET!

Once we get the natatorium built, Greensboro will have fine swim facility to provide a first-class place to compete as well as a place for all of our swimmers to practice. That's My World! See you at the pool.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Happy "Cinco de Mayo." This photo was taken on Saturday at the  Artbeat Festival in our beautiful City Center Park in downtown Greensboro. The four dancers are dressed in festive costumes from Jalisco, Mexico. These women make dancing look easy; however, in reality, the dresses are extremely heavy and the women get quite a workout swishing the skirts and moving around on stage. 

Typical of events where Artbeat and the Greensboro Public Library are involved, this event attracted people of all ages and from many cultures. The Artbeat Greensboro Festival will continue until May 10th, so if you haven't attended an event yet, it is not too late. Also, if you are in the mood to celebrate Cinco de Mayo today, turn your radio dial to 94.5 FM, La Preciosa, and enjoy the "musica inolvidable en vivo." If you look to the left of the photo above, you can see the tent belonging to "La Preciosa." The announcers were balanced bilinguals and took great care to accommodate their English and Spanish listeners.

If you go out today to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, please dine in one of the 127 restaurants participating in the "Serving Greensboro Together" fundraiser for Urban Ministries. Ten percent of the sale will be donated to Urban Ministry.  Arriba!

ALS Walk held on Saturday April 4, 2009

Saturday was a busy day in downtown Greensboro. Children began queueing with their families to be part of the Easter egg drop in the NewBridge Bank Baseball Park in the very early morning.  Additionally, the Walk to Defeat ALS was held, culminating in Center City Park. In the photo above, a volunteer, from the Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter of the ALS Association, paints the face of a young boy who, likely, had just finished walking. By mid-day, the park was brimming with people, young and old alike. 

As spring approaches, Greensboro will have no shortage of activities to keep us busy. We challenge the locals to get out and support the myriad causes, teams, organizations and businesses that make an effort to keep our city thriving and entertaining.

               

Center City Park in Downtown Greensboro

Center City Park opened at the corner of Elm Street and Friendly Avenue on December 1, 2006. The park has proven to be extremely popular with Greensboro residents, especially in the warmer months when people often eat lunch and chat with friends on the property. This clay bird sculpture is one of many fine pieces of artwork found in the park.  The angular orientation of the photo allows for the Greensboro Cultural Center on Davie Street to serve as a background. This bird is approximately 3 feet tall and the delight of small children who see eye to eye with this playful piece of sculpture.