Greensboro Daily Photo

February ONE

Today is a very important day: February One, the day the Sit-Ins were held in Greensboro in 1960. David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Jr., Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), and Joseph McNeil headed over to the Woolworth's lunch counter on Elm Street and sat and waited to purchase a cup of coffee.  They were trying to get not only a cup of coffee but also some long-overdue equality. On this day in 2010, our city came together for the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum.

Today we feature the base of the February One statue on the campus of North Carolina A&T University. Previously, we have featured the front of the statue in all of its glory (here  and back,  here). This photo makes the already tall monument appear even taller. Recently many local high school students wrote essays about that they would sit in for. That is a great topic to contemplate. As we all remember this important day in the history of Civil Rights, let us ponder, just what would we be willing to sit in for?

On Suffering....

This photo of  a church marquee was taken last fall at The Grove Church on Jessup Grove Road. Sometimes these signs are quite thought provoking. This take on suffering, that it makes your religious faith stronger, is quite a different way of interpretping one's emotional pain.

Last June, Ralph Davison, contributing writer to The Business Journal, a local, Triad newspaper, wrote "I've always wanted my children to suffer. Not a lot; just the right amount. I'm not talking about the gut-wrenching, crushing suffering that comes with the poverty that too many of our citizens experience. I'm talking about the suffering that makes us heroes." If you want to have a little bit of a "sermon" today and you can't get out, consider finishing Mr. Davison's editorial, here.  Neitzsche said "That which does not kill you makes you stronger." Finally, the Bible makes several references to suffering from multiple perspectives.

We're with Mr. Davison. May you have "just enough" suffering to get stronger without getting broken. Life is a delicate balance. Here's to leading balanced lives in Greensboro, North Carolina (and beyond).  See GDP's four years of Sundays, here.

Pleasant Garden Drug Store

Continuing with the "sign" theme of Greensboro Daily Photo this week, for today's installment, we bring you Pleasant Garden Drug Store. In business since 1952, they bill themselves as "a modern pharmacy with a small town feel." This family pharmacy is one of those places that seems trapped in the mid-twentieth century. Do not be fooled, one look at their website will tell you that they can fill your prescription online. And, their prices are said to be the lowest in southeast Guilford County. This store, like a hometown hardware store, is one of those places where you can get little odds and ends that you can't find anywhere else. You can probably find some of the old-timey items like eye wash cups and netie pots to vaporizers and Greensboro's own Vicks VapoRub. You can also get state of the art products, too. Best of all, you get great advice from their three pharmacists. And, usually a little neighborhood news is available. It has been a while since we've seen a store sign that said nothing but-- DRUGS.

Old Signs on Vintage Buildings

    A repeat from yesterday's theme (old signs) is the sign above. The Beaman Building (photo here) at the the corner of Independence and Lawndale Drive near Target and the Kirkwood neighborhood, is one of our photos that still gets viewed a lot today. The building is classic 1964 architecture and may well be Greensboro's only remaining building with turquoise panels. Above, is a sign, located beside the building. We took this photo a while back and hope it still stands today. The aged patina looks beautiful in the winter sky against he ruddy, rusty treeline.

    Beaman Realty Company is located at 2820 Lawndale Drive. This old sign and building are located at 2014 Lawndale. We need to try to get by and learn more about the old company and to try to find out more about the old Sears Warehouse that used to be across the street. The more we investigate Greensboro, the more we realize we need to learn. After four years of this informal research, we just get curiouser and curiouser! How about you?

Deep Roots Market

Today's post-Thanksgiving-feasting photo showcases Deep Roots Market, Greensboro's only healthfood cooperative store. The seed for the co-op was sewn in a dorm room at Guilford College in the 1960's*;  the retail store has been in its present location since 1990- with a different location in between. This little treasure, on Spring Garden at Wendover, boasts the largest sales per retail square foot of any grocery store in town (reference). Deep Roots Cooperative has a board of directors, by-laws, policy governance, and member owners; however, if you are in search of good-for-you-food in a pleasant atmosphere, you can shop here without a membership.

Construction is underway for the new Deep Roots store to be located North Eugene Street, providing downtown Greensboro with a full-service grocery store of more than 10,000 square feet. That's almost ten times larger than the current location. So far, more than 100 owners have loaned the store over $400,000 to help with this initiative. Here's to a successful transition to their expanded location and to providing downtown residents with a much-needed grocery store. Here's to having enough residents in Greensboro, who value eating healthy food, to support Deep Roots, Earthfare, and Whole Foods. Deep Roots will be on the greenway. Let's hope they install a LARGE bike rack! 

* read the history here.

Greensboro's C'EST-MOI Mobile

(Mais ... Qui êtes-vous)?

Today is more light-hearted than usual on GDP. Since we have lots of faithful readers who are Francophiles, we just had to share the "C'EST-MOI" mobile for all to enjoy. Maybe Rice Toyota gives vanity tags for a promotion with purchase as we see so many vanity tags on Rice Toyota vehicles! Given the dealership, we know C'est-moi  has local ties. If you get a chance, ask the "It is I" or "It's me" mobile, who they are... and let us know, please.

Here are some local vanity tags we've shared in the past. (A, B, C, D, E,). Perhaps our favorite is the one related to breast cancer and, since it is breast cancer awareness month, these tags seem especially meaningful to share again.

By the way, yesterday was our most viewed day ever on GDP. Either our vegetables brought readers out of the woodwork or our four years of meeting people and promoting Greensboro are starting to pay off in readership. As much time as we spend on the road driving and meeting people, it is hard to believe that the effortless snapping of veggies in our back yard brought in new readers. Regardless, we love every minute of it. And, hats off to Hugh (see his comment) for realizing yesterday's okra was, largely, too mature to eat! So for today, Hugh is our featured reader.....Hugh.......

C'EST TOI.

Guilford College Woods

The sign, labeled Guilford College Woods, greets visitors and residents of Jefferson Gardens. This is the sign and view as you enter the limited-access neighborhood featured on GDP earlier in the week. Herein, you will find the bucolic home of Mr. Crow and Mr. Turkey. The historical marker says it all about a part of Greensboro that has been making history since the early 1700's. 

North Carolina's historical marker program is one of the oldest in the United States. The first marker to be put in place through the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program was in Granville County in 1936. Now, the markers are in every county; in all, over 1,400 are in place.* We like the above marker because there is ample opportunity to get out of your car and read it. Some markers are alongside such traffic-dense areas that you would risk your life if you stopped to read them.  Do you take the time to read historical markers? Do you have a favorite one? Here is one on the other side of the Guilford College campus.

Well, the weekend is upon us which means we get to go out exploring Greensboro again. Who knows, we just may pull up in your neighborhood. If only we could be like the Publishers Clearinghouse Prize Patrol and show up with a million-dollar check!

*go here to learn more about North Carolina's historical marker program.

Mr. Crow of Ainsworth Drive

Yesterday's Mr. Turkey of Jefferson Gardens loves to run the neighborhood; however, crows are in stiff competition for being the lead birds. They heckle Mr. Turkey every chance they get. At the time of this photo, several crows were foraging on the ground and the crow on the sign was enjoying his elevated vantage point. While up there, he used the sign as an implement to clean off his beak. He raked his beak across the top of the sign several times. Birds hate having anything on their beaks. There is some evidence that crows have extremely high IQ's and, they not only use tools, they can make them. 

Since Ainsworth Drive is the street with all of the decorations at Christmas, perhaps Mr. Crow was plotting to assemble something on his own. He has the smarts and he sure was being vocal about something. It is so much fun to follow the hapenings in our Greensboro neighhborhoods. The longer we look, the more we appreciate. The more we appreciate, the longer we look.....

La Vitrine.........

This window dressing, at design ARCHIVES on South Elm Street made us feel as if we were hanging out in Paris or New York City. Everyone loves a creative window display and this one was just so visually appealing that we're giving it an eight-mannequins-up award. Owner and Curator Kit Rodenbaugh, along with her very capable staff and vendors, keep their vintage and handmade emporium attractive and are constantly making us do a double take when walking by. This was the view of "la vitrine" at design ARCHIVES in early August. 

We looked at our recent posts and decided that GDP needed a good dose of color and a little levity to kick off a new month. Elm Street is so full of not just color but also LOCAL color and is a great place to take photos. On the same block as design ARCHIVES, we photographed this and this. Time to head back downtown and see what we can find on South Elm Street today. 

For yet another GDP riot of color, see this rooster, and this greenway trash. We're sharing today's post with Weekend Reflections where reflections are not only appreciated, they are expected. Goodbye, August; hello, September!

End Polio Worldwide

The above sign, "End polio worldwide," is sponsored by Rotary District 7690 (Piedmont area, Rotary Zone 33). If you read their website, District 7690 seems really involved in fostering world peace and in helping young people become more globally minded. The polio campaign is particularly poignant in Greensboro as we had a polio hospital in the late 1940's (featured on GDP here & here). While there are vaccines against polio, once contacted, there is no cure for this crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. The World Health Organization spearheads the Global Eradication Initative; however, organizations, like our local Rotary chapter, are also involved. While polio is much less of an issue worldwide than it was at the height of the epidemic in 1952, it still occurs in other parts of the world. In 2012, there were 1,352 reported cases. We're getting there......

We have a closeup of the above sign that is easier to read; however, we love the way you can see its location along West Market Street, heading toward town. West Market Street is so built up and commercial, it is easy to forget that Greensboro still has a lot of "green" and probably looks fairly lush to those who live in areas of drought. If you stay on Market Street for the several miles to town, then continue on it through town, and then drive a few miles down East Market Street, you will find yourself very close to Greensboro's old polio hospital.

 

Remembering Calvin Wiley

As the historical marker states, Calvin Wiley was the first superintendent of North Carolina Common Schools in the mid 1800's, at the time of the Civil War. Wiley was born in the Alamance region of Guilford County, in the vicinity of Liberty and Alamance Church Roads. Mr. Wiley worked tirelessly to bring quality public education to North Carolina. He was instrumental in prescribing and distributing uniform textbooks in North Carolina. He worked on decreasing illiteracy. He established standards and examination boards for teachers. He saw education as the means for people to overcome poverty and to become less provincial. Under Wiley's tenure and through his transformative practices, North Carolina became known for having the best public school system in the South.

Also a journalist and lawyer, Wiley wrote about the politics of education and, on a more homespun level, on the notion of "awakening readers to their state and culture through his writing."* Here is our favorite quotes about Wiley, a man for whom we have tremendous admiration and respect: "Using his communication skills as a writer and speaker, he devoted himself to finding ways to awaken a spirit of pride in the people."* As the school year is about to begin in Guilford County, let us all take a minute to be inspired by a man whose relevance, to the history of public education in North Carolina, will never wane (see reference below).

The man in the photo, who just happened to run by as we were on a photo shoot, told us he was on a five mile run. Likely, he ran right past Wiley's old homestead. 

* reference.

View from East Greensboro

Sometimes you can find beauty and visual interest where you least expect it. Here we are at an Exxon station captivated by the geometric, clean lines of the red, white, and blue scene. The station is located in East Greensboro, on East Market Street, near NC A&T. As you can see, it is still possible to make a pay phone call here. Pay phones and university campuses just seem to go together. The only other one we've located in Greensboro is beside UNCG (here). Do you know of others? 

This photo also documents the price of regular gas on July 28th (the day the photo was taken). Already, the price is higher. We plan to return to this same spot next year to compare the price of gas from one year to the next. Do you think it will be higher or lower?

On another note, if you notice, the Jefferson Standard/Jefferson Pilot/Lincoln Financial Building is peeking out above the red roof of the Exxon outbuilding. When the "JP Building" is in a photo, you know it was taken in Greensboro.

University of Phoenix Greensboro

While we were out driving on High Point Road, recently, we were struck by the billboard above:

"University of Phoenix® Committed to educating Greensboro."

Imagine, just yesterday, the front page photo of the Greensboro NEWS & RECORD featured the local colleges that will be starting soon: N.C. A&T, UNCG, Guilford College, Bennett College, Elon University School of Law, GTCC, High Point University, Greensboro College, Elon University. They did not mention University of Phoenix. However, this Maricopa County, Arizona-based university, known for its online coursework, does, indeed, have a learning center in Greensboro. It is located at 1500 Pinecroft Road, Suite 110- not too far from the Four Seasons Mall.

Interesting that the brick and mortar facility is a learning center and the online facility is known as a campus. Preference for brick and mortar vs. an online learning environment tends to be generational. How would you feel about getting a degree online? Regardless, as the sign alerts us, the above nine institutions of higher education need to make room.

There's a new kid in town. 

Nest at the Cardinal

Today, we bring you a little humor. Since we've been featuring the Cardinal neighborhood this week, we wanted to share this sign, located on Old Oak Ridge Road, just down the road from Fire Station No. 17.

"Don't be a woodpecker, nest at the Cardinal."

What does it mean to be a woodpecker? Don't you wonder who thought this slogan up? It is catchy. 

First Friday happens in downtown Greensboro this evening. If you are local, you might want to stop by the Indie Market on South Elm Street and do a little gallery hopping. We love woodpeckers and cardinals but tonight, we're hanging out downtown, with the pigeons. Actually, there aren't that many pigeons in Greensboro. Have a great weekend, dear readers. By the way, if there were a slogan for your neighborhood, what would it be?

Faith Step Ministries Church

Today is Sunday which means we're bringing you a religious post of some sort. Above is a photo of Faith Step a ministries church at 309 West Lee Street. Their motto is "stepping out on faith in Christ." Their worship time is 9:30 on Sunday mornings and their pastors are Dr. Helen McLaughlin and Dr. Andrei Spells. Increasingly, in Greensboro, we're starting to see churches spring up in little strip malls. These venues are quite a contrast to the giant, box churches that hold thousands. 

These little houses of worship remind us that it is not the facility but the people that make up a religious community. The people at Faith Step aspire to show their members how to take steps and make the right choices on earth to some day earn a place in heaven, somewhere beyond those fluffy, white clouds that are floating high above Faith Step.

On another note, if you are reading this on June 3, don't forget that Music for Sunday Evening in the Park (MUSEP)  will be at Blandwood Mansion downtown this evening. Hope to see you there for this great, free event!

He is Risen

This weekend, we were in Summerfield* and noticed the three crosses and the 'HE IS RISEN' sign on the second floor of the Brittain Building. This brick structure was built of hand-made bricks in 1872.If you look closely on the side of the building, faintly, you can see the sign for Gordon's Hardware. There was a time when the local hardware store was the hub of the community. People would come together to learn the local news and catch up on the lives of their friends. The local hardware store was the Facebook of decades past. It was not uncommon for apartments to be upstairs or some kind of purpose different from the ground level. The Brittain Building appears to be in the same style as this one on Mendenhall Street in Greensboro-- a very common design in the late 1800's. While this whole area around Highway 150 and Summerfield Road has been thriving since the 1800's, Summerfield was only incorporated in 1996.

In North Carolina, it is not uncommon to find professions of faith on buildings and in individual homes. So for today, for our Sunday religious post, as you can see, Easter is over and 'HE IS RISEN.' The signage is a very creative use of window space. Happy Sunday, all and, thank you for your loyalty to our blog.

 

*just north of Greensoro but still in Guilford County 

Free Hugs on South Elm Street

Continuing on our sharing of First Friday adventures on Elm Street, we feature a photo of the FREE HUGS station at the 300 block of South Elm Street. The Free Hugs Campaign* was started by Australian Juann Mann. Mann said when he left London and arrived in Sydney he saw families hugging and greeting each other and wished he had someone to greet him with a hug. Juan took a piece of cardboard and a marker and wrote the first "free hugs" sign. After Juan's waiting fifteen minutes, a woman approached him saying she could use a hug. She had lost her daughter in a car accident a year ago that day and her dog had died that morning. They hugged; and so began Juan's mission to increase human connectivity by giving away free, unconditional, no-strings-attached bear hugs. After partaking in a heartfelt free hug last week, we stepped back and watched the hugging. 

*more on The Free Hugs Campaign here.

Captain Bill's Seafood on Good Friday

Today, Good Friday, is the last day of the Lenten frenzy at Captain Bill's Seafood & Steakhouse Restaurant. Many Christians, not just Catholics, give up red meat on Fridays during Lent.Captain Bill's LOVES that tradition! Captain Bill's is an old-school, southern seafood restaurant. This translates as no frills on decor, all emphasis on food and service. Fish is what draws people in; however, likely it is the hush puppies, slaw, and banana banana pudding that keep people coming back. 

Captain Bill's is located way out West Market Street, approaching the area where Friendly Avenue joins Market Street. It hasn't been too many years that taking a drive to the restaurants and dinner clubs "way out" Market and Friendly seemed like going on an extended road trip. Today, they seem like just an extra red light or two away. This photo was taken last Friday when the parking lot AND the restaurant were full. Captain Bill's has been a Greensboro favorite for a long time!

Related Good Friday post: Stations of the Cross; Good Friday crosses. Today is also Skywatch Friday.

Sky over Battleground

Seems like there has been considerable construction in Greensboro over the last two months. Bryan Boulevard has been receiving improvements over the last month and was closed for construction last night. A new Sheetz Gas Station is going up at the intersection of Jefferson and New Garden Roads. Recently, we featured the new Fisher Park Apartments and Meadowood Property under construction. Today, we saw 8 large dump trucks from Pffaftown turn on to Lee Street headed to a job site. Perhaps they were heading to the Lee Street property that has been cleared for the park near Musikgarten and the entrance to Olde Asheboro.

In the above photo, we see two men in a cherry picker working on phone wires. On the right, you can see the PNC Bank and the roof of Biscuitville peeking through. This photo was taken just north of Irving Park and behind the Target on Lawndale. Activity is all around us. Hopefully, your family is feeling an economic upturn. Let's all hope for the best and have a GREAT weekend!

We're sharing this with Skywatch Friday.

 

Northern Guilford Baptist

Today, we provide marquee-inspiration....... Jesus- the source of peace. The sign is found at Northern Guilford Baptist Church, which we've featured before (here). They are located on Horse Pen Creek Road near the Spears Y.  The house to the right in the background looks similar to this baptist church/house of worship.

In this neighborhood that is transitioning from homes to apartment complexes, a marquee is a quick way for a church to advertise and to attract new members.

First Baptist Church of Greensboro

Today, we feature a view of the steeple at First Baptist Church from nearby Tate Street. While Scott P. Culclasure wrote a history of this church* (The 1859-1999 years), historical information about First Baptist does not appear to be readily available in electronic format. We love it when churches provide historical overviews on their own websites. We have featured First Baptist here and here.

First Baptist is one of those churches that encompasses a city block. The white steeple serves as a landmark on Friendly Avenue. It looks beautiful surrounded by the dramatic clouds on an early March day. Notice the SECU (State Employees Credit Union) sign peeking out, as well as the tree blossoms at the right of the photo. This photo is exactly how we expect the transition from winter to spring to look in Greensboro.

*Culclasure's book is called "In Every Good Work."

A Sunday Afternoon near 352 South Elm Street

Elm Street is not only a great place to take pictures, it makes a great backdrop for photographing models. Above, we see a photographer using the art and handicraft shop, "Just Be", as a backdrop for her pictures. This photo was taken at Hamburger Square, near the Elm-McGee parking lot where, beginning May 6th, the South Elm Urban Market will set up shop. The Urban Market will feature local produce, food products like eggs and cheese, and handmade items. Elm Street attracts businesses that are locally owned and have a hometown feel to them; therefore, this Sunday market is a perfect fit. Several Elm Street restaurants and shops are already open on Sunday. Likely, more will remain open if the Sunday market is as well attended as anticipated. Indie, etsy-like businesses seem to be the trend everywhere and Greensboro is no exception. 

This photo captures so many of the details of downtown: the railroad tracks, the vintage brick buildings, the people, the topography, and the sign announcing that you are under video surveilance-- to name a few. Happy Monday folks.

F is for Fitness

Above we see a photo of Workout Anytime, located between Cook-out, Krispy Kreme, and Maxie B's on Battleground Avenue. Workout Anytime is one of those stores catering to the latest fitness trend of working out anytime; that's 24/7-- 365 days a year. Regardless of what time you go to or leave work, you can stop and exercise. On their website, this franchise doesn't say how long they have been in business, but they do mention their owners have a combined 40 years of experience in the industry.

According to the state data on death rates from heart disease, Guilford County fares pretty well. The state rate is 439 deaths annually related to heart disease per 100,000 people; the county rate is 368-411 per 100,000. Except for neighboring Caswell County, counties in the Piedmont/triad/triangle area are heart healthier than the North Carolinians living in the he coastal region. Perhaps we are more diligent about exercising; perhaps we eat less fried foods. At any rate, we seem to be doing something right.

Today is ABC Wednesday and for this round, we're featuring causes. Today's cause is F, for fitness. If you want a non-profit related to fitness, there is always the option to join the YMCA. Additionally, on Saturday, March 31, 2012, Greensboro will have a great health and fitness event, a 5K charity walk/run where participants get to raise money for their favorite charity. You get to work on your heart health at the Human Race event while your favorite non-profit gets a little money for their coffer. How do you keep your heart healthy? What do you do to help others stay healthy? Remember, February is National Heart Health month and F is for fitness!

Gateway Gardens and University Research Park

After nearly a decade in the planning, Gateway Gardens is a reality. It is located on 11 acres of land between East Lee and Florida Streets adjacent to Barber Park.  Greensboro Beautiful, the non-profit that brought Greensboro the Bog and Bicentennial Gardens and the Arboretum, brings us Gateway Gardens. They do so, in collaboration with Greensboro's Parks and Recreation Department, as well as with the help of many private citizens. The above entrance from the parking lot is a mere prelude to the colorful, child-friendly space that blends local artwork, especially sculpture, with beautiful flora and walking trails. There is an outdoor classroom as well an many places to sit along the way. We will feature other views on Greensboro Daily Photo this week.

If you look closely at the building in the center of this photo, you will see yet another exciting venture for Greensboro. NCA&T and UNCG, the two North Carolina state universities located in Greensboro, have entered into a joint venture to build Gateway University Research Park. Anticipated to open later this year, the 64 million dollar facility will house the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, one of North Carolina's most exciting 21st century initiatives. For sure, the school will attract students from around the world who are interested in pursuing Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in the nanotechnology fields. In the meantime, with the Gateway Gardens, Gateway University Research Park and Barber Park, East Greensboro will be quite an amazing GATEWAY to the Gate City. If you have about 9 minutes, we highly recommend you watch the video clip put together about the Gateway Gardens project (read/view here). If you are interested in the Gateway Research Park, read/view here. 

CHARTreUSE

Looking for something to do on Saturday? Across the street from yesterday's new student housing compound on Merritt Drive is a consignment store called CHArtReUSe. In the neighborhood of the former Pomona Cotton Mill, a husband and wife team opened the "artistic reuse" store last July. They make some of the artwork that is for sale and represent other, mostly-local artists. CHArtReUSe is an eclectic mix of styles ranging from 1950's bowling alley bright to garden-white shabby chic. Many of the items in the store are repurposed. For example, Christmas cookie tins are cut and assembled into metal flowers for the patio. They take old, tired furniture, paint the wood and reupholster it. As with the items in the store, we're predicting that this part of town is on its way to being transformed.

After milling about CHArTReUSe for a while, we're heading to the Green Bean for the collaborative artists' Hand-to-Hand event from 3-10pm today. We're sharing this photo with our friends at Weekend Reflection who will appreciate our efforts at taking an artsy photo with lots of reflections in the details.

Friendship Community Church of God

Friendship Community Church of God is located on Guilford College Road near West Market Street. They also double as Myanmar (Burma) Church and, on Friday and Saturdays, they are the "Iglesia de Dios Vida Eterna." While the church embraces people of all ethnicities, for the ethnically Burmese or Hispanic, they offer special services. The congregations don't appear to have a website; they do, however, have a new Facebook page (here). As is the case with many churches in Greensboro, it is hard to tell if Friendship Community is affiliated with a traditional religion (like Catholicism or Baptist) or of they are a modern non-affiliated religion. They don't appear to have religious insignia, like crosses. The facility stays busy all weekend!

We took this photo the day we made our 10 mile ride along Guilford College in preparation for our ABC Wednesday post, "G" is for Guilford College.

Addendum: Dina, we found this link about the Myanmar Church. It appears they have about 170 members. 

Steelers Fans in Greensboro

Last month, these Pittsburgh Steelers fans were standing around waiting for the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. parade to begin. As seen on the green street sign, they were gathered on Martin Luther King Jr Drive in East Greensboro. It was a gray winter day.  Informal surveys and NFL clothing choices indicated that more citizens of Greensboro were in favor of the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, today is not only a sad day for Pittsburgh but also for Steelers fans in Greensboro and across the nation. The Super Bowl was an exciting game-- determined by the last possession. Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers. Even with injuries, they played a great game. We hope the man in the center of the photo continues to wear his jacket as six Super Bowl wins is something to be proud of. If he has one, can, however, put his terrible towels, away!

Greensboro is a great sports city. We love athletic events of all kinds and are especially excited that the Women's and Men's 2011 ACC Basketball Championships are in Greensboro in March! Check out our old March Madness photos.

PUNK ROCK

Vanity tags are a reflection of one's personality and this driver must like music. Spotted on Cornwallis Drive more than once is the PUNK ROCK mobile. If you have a vanity tag, what is it and why? If you don't but were offered one for free, what would have put on it? What are some interesting vanity plates that you've seen? Here's one we featured last spring.

With a hint of reflection on this bumper, we're uploading this photo on James' Weekend Reflection. Besides, we're doing another kind of "reflecting" on vanity tags!

"Just a Cup of Coffee"

February 1st, 1960 four students from Greensboro's North Carolina A&T University ushered in a movement of non-violent protests when they led the Greensboro Sit-Ins. The protest began with the actions of David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr (Jibreel Khazan), and Joseph McNeil. They insisted on sitting at the lunch counter in Woolworth's Department Store on Elm Street, even though they were African Americans. Getting a cup of coffee "to go" was not acceptable. Their brave act contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement and to reversing policies of racial segregation. The poster in the photo is a reference to this significant event. The young girl and her mentor were doing their civic duty and marching in the cold in Greensboro's recent Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day Parade.  A piece of artwork, related to their poster, can be seen here. 

Over the years Greensboro, North Carolina has played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. Last year, we opened the International Civil Rights Museum. Additionally, we have two historically-black institutions of higher education: NC A&T and Bennett College. Ensuring equal rights and equal opportunities is important to our city and, if you want to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement, Greensboro is a great place to start. See related posts here on Greensboro Daily Photo. See here the front of the statue at NCA&T dedicated to the February 1 Movement and here for a different view.

Listen to a short audio segment of "Lift Every Voice and Sing,"  a poem written James Weldon Johnson and put to music by his brother John. The song is often called the African-American National Anthem.

 

The Bulldog Resides in Greensboro

"Who let the dogs out?"   Mack Truck, Inc., that's who... and the above photo is an 8-foot-tall gold statue of Mack Truck's trusty mascot, the bulldog. Just as the bulldog is a heavy dog, Macks are heavy vehicles.

Last year was the Year of the Dog in the Chinese Zodiac and the first full year of Mack World Headquarters in Greensboro on National Service Road. Their headquarters, just down the street from Volvo Truck, rolled into Greensboro, September 2009. Mack Truck is a Volvo Group Company so this move, during a time of corporate restructuring, was a financially sound one for Mack/Volvo. Mack vehicles are sold in over 45 countries worldwide. This is a business we can be proud to have housed in Greensboro. If you ever have a chance, thank this company for being here.

Oh, and for you Georgia and NC State fans, now you don't have to leave town to get a photo with your favorite mascot! Since this IS actually a sign, I'm sharing it with the sign, sign meme.

B is for (East) Bessemer Avenue

Out of the 234 Greensboro streets beginning with the letter "B", this week's featured street is East Bessemer Avenue. Prior to the 1957 annexation into Greensboro, Bessemer was actually a town east of Greensboro. Bessemer School was a 1st- 12th grade public school for the Bessemer community. (Read its fascinating history with great links here). Until the eastern section of Wendover Avenue was constructed in the 1960's, Bessemer Avenue was the main artery to and from the east side of town. The Summit/Bessemer Avenue intersection was just north of the homes of some of Greensboro's most prominent citizens.

Bessemer residents billed themselves as blue-collar and working-class families. Many were mill workers. These families formed a tight knit community that valued the education of their children, almost above all. Teachers were respected community members and school athletics did a lot for uniting the community. Graduates of Bessemer schools remain active today, meeting in person as well as on Facebook. In the WWII era, a great community memory was built when actor Charleton Heston spent part of his military career at the army's Overseas Replacement Depot (O.R.D.), located in the East Bessemer/Huffman Street/Winston Street area.

East Bessemer Avenue has 86 homes; West Bessemer has 65 homes. Today's photo, located at 932 E. Bessemer Avenue, is a curb market in the business section. It has been an E. Bessemer landmark since 1955. For our friends at ABC Wednesday, "B" is for Bessemer!

Country BBQ

BBQ is to North Carolina what oranges are to Florida, rodeo to Texas, and Pizza to New York. Generally, North Carolina BBQ is chopped pork on a sandwich or a platter served with vinegar-based slaw and hush puppies. Here we see a behind-the-counter scene from Country BBQ on Wendover Avenue. Nothing completes the BBQ experience like prompt service, a friendly waitress with a southern accent, and a good cup of sweet tea. All of the above was provided during our recent visit to Country BBQ. Do you have a favorite BBQ place in Greensboro? In a different city? Greensboro's "Greensboring" blogger, votes, hands down for Country BBQ (read here). 

 This is our contribution to Weekend Reflection.

Near the Airport and I-40

Beep, beep! This California Sidecar truck on the left, licensed in Virginia, could be hauling trikes, side cars, accessories or after-market trike conversions. Recently, it was spotted near the airport and I-40, on Galimore Dairy Road, adding some great color to the winter landscape. Likely, it was refueling as this area is a popular spot for trucks to purchase fuel. To the right, you see the sign for Marathon fuel as well as Kinder Morgan. Kinder Morgan is a private company that stores and transports petroleum products, CO2 and natural gas. According to their website, the company has approximately 37,000 miles of pipeline and 180 terminals in North America. Here we see a Greensboro terminal. Kinder Morgan is an interesting company as they don't actually own fuel but transport it for others. Also, the CEO is paid $1 a year with the rest of his income tied to what he earns for shareholders.

Even though this side of town has an industrial look, one can still find great scenes to photograph, including Skywatch Friday shots (see here & here too). Over the last two years, Skywatch Friday has been one of GDP's most popular features. It is uplifting to monitor the sky above one's city. If you want a quick scroll through all GDP's sky photos go here. We've spent a lot of time counting clouds and chasing rainbows around town!

 

Tate Street Coffee House

Having opened in 1993, Tate Street Coffee House (TSCH) is 18 years old. While other coffee houses have come and gone on Tate Street, TSCH has thrived and continues to be one of the main anchor businesses on this street, just east of UNCG. Over the years, the menu has expanded to include light sandwiches and they now take credit cards.

Last night was perfect for stopping by for a cup of hot tea. The inside is decorated with colored lights for Christmas and students from nearby UNCG and Greensboro College were hanging out finishing research and writing papers. This time of year, just about every other table has a college student glued to a laptop hugging a hot cup of caffeine. While requently, TSCH features live music, mid-week during finals crunch time is not exactly the time to offer entertainment.

Although their names are not featured on the Facebook page for TSCH, as far as we can tell, Matt and Ann Russ are still the owners. We used to get by for coffee a lot and remember Matt greeting his regulars and having their 'usual' ready when the customer got to the front of the line. We hope he is still at it because it feels great greeted and served efficiently. The coffee shop is also very involved in Tate Streets visual and performance arts festivals each fall and spring (see here and here). See another scene of Tate Street and TSCH here. Here's to another 18 + years to TSCH. They have been a good neighbor!

Open Space Café Theater

The Open Space Cafe Theater is another place to go in Greensboro to be entertained. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago so Jimmy Dean has left the building! Up next, at the end of November is PEEPERS by Walt Vail, the winner of the Open Space Café Theater's  (OSCT) first annual new play competition. The OSCT has been featuring live, professional theater in Greensboro for four years now. Inside is a foyer where you can buy beverages and snacks. Beyond the foyer is a small stage and also an area with cafe seating where desserts and beverages can be enjoyed while being entertained. The actors are VERY close to the audience during these performances. Sometimes they even build you, the audience, into the performance. Literally, you can reach out and touch them!

At times, the proprietor, Joe Nierle, books music acts too. This December, back by popular demand, he will be showing TRAILER PARK CHRISTMAS in December. We really enjoyed the New Year's Eve event we attended here!

"P" is for Preddy

Historic marker J80 on Summit Avenue is dedicated to George Preddy. Mr. Preddy was born down Summit Avenue a couple of miles east of downtown Greensboro.  As stated on the marker, Preddy was a World War II fighter pilot. He was born in Greensboro in 1919 and attended Greensboro High School. He doubled up on classes so that he could graduate at age sixteen.

Preddy served as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. At the time of his death, he was the highest ranking ace in the European theater and had earned a Distinguished Service Cross. Ironically, Preddy died on Christmas Day 1944 as a result of friendly fire. He was only twenty five. At the time of his death, Second Lieutenant Preddy had accomplished 26.83 aerial victories and 5 ground victories in 143 missions (read more in the archives of the Greensboro Historical Museum here). In 1968, a portion of I-85 was named Preddy Boulevard in honor of George and his brother Bill, also a pilot killed in World War II. If you are interseted in the military accomplishments of George Preddy, Wikipedia has a fair of information (here).

In the background of the photo, you can see buildings in downtown Greensboro. Some historic markers are in high-traffic hard to read areas; however, the one to Preddy is very accessible on Summit Avenue which, in Preddy's day, was a very prominent part of our city. Today, on Greensboro Daily Photo, "P" is for for Preddy on ABC Wednesday. Thank you for visiting.

Orrell Design

Orell Design, established February 2003 in downtown Greensboro, is the kick-off photo for our week of "O's" (inspired by ABC Wednesday here). We've wanted to feature Orrell Design for a long time because of the quality hair cutting, coloring, styling, etc. and fine spa experiences available at Orrell Design. Owner Kerrie Orrell, when not at the shop, is busy doing fine community work. She is always donating products, services and time to worthy causes. Likely, in the summertime, if you see young swimmers running around town with stripes of pink in their hair, Kerrie has donated her time for a breast cancer fundraiser! If you see a child whose hair was shortened by 10 inches overnight, chances are, one of the stylists at Orrell Design cut it for Locks of Love. Kerrie, as energetic as the Ever Ready Bunny, also manages to care for her three children. This Greensboro-grown proprietor is a role model for us all.

Orrell Design, located at 440 North Eugene Street is our contribution to Mellow Yellow Monday (see that yellow building to the right?).

 

N is for Night Deposits

This is the night deposit safe of the Guilford National Bank at the corner of Elm and Washington Streets. Guilford National Bank opened in 1934. At one time, the building also housed the Greensboro National Bank. Neither Greensboro nor Guilford National Banks are still in existence; however, the safe remains-- another artifact of a bygone era. The safe evokes the era when everyone carried large bags of cash to the bank. We were a cash and carry society. The bank building is still a dynamic and vibrant rock solid place.

By chance, we stumbled upon an interesting case that the Guilford National brought against the Southern Railway Company on behalf of the estate of Jesse Coble in 1963. This week in N on ABC Wednesday and some more "N's" on our to-do list: N is for News & Record. The N&R has compiled an interesting list of history related to our Greensboro banks (here). N is also for Nido (Qubein), president and powerhouse fundraiser of High Point University. N is for New Garden Nursery! We are working remotely today. If we get a chance, we will share this with our fellow bloggers at ABC Wednesday. As you can see from Monday and Tuesday this week, on days we don't link to our international viewers, local viewers tend to look without commenting :(

220 NORTH-- Battleground Avenue

Recently, a passenger in our car commented about a new sign in Irving Park where Lawndale, Battleground, and Westover Terrace converge. Do you notice anything different about this sign? Well, if you are a typography aficionado, you will notice the font right away. Traditionally, the Federal Highway Administrations fonts have been sans-serif (see here). The US Federal Government and Pentagon have been in the business of highway fonts since the early 1940's. Lately, serifs, or the "semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols" have been creeping into road signs. Historically, consensus has been that plainer fonts are easier to read, especially when zooming down the highway. Personally, we did find the "new and improved" font in the sign above a little harder to read. How about you? 

There are lots of websites where you can identify fonts, if you like the "name that font" game. When we went to identafont, the font above looks like impressum. If you're loving this font talk, likely you've seen the 2007 movie, entitled, HELVETICA.

 

Vicks VapoRub

Well, it is high time we feature the Richardson family and make sure the world knows that Vicks VapoRub was first compounded in Greensboro (see sign above) in the late 1800's. In 1912 the menthol salve got renamed Vicks VapoRub. The flu pandemic of 1918 really made Richardson's product a household name as it was the most popular croup/cold/flu remedy at the time. Sales of the inhaled breathing treatment soared from $900,000 to $2.5 million in that year. While Proctor and Gamble bought Richardson-Vicks, Inc. in 1985, we are proud to say that America's #1 inhaled breathing treatment got its start in Greensboro, North Carolina. There aren't many commercial products around today that were thriving 100 years ago: VapoRub is one of the elite! If you want to learn more about the history of Vicks VapoRub, go to the 100 year interactive timeline here! (Click on the pictures of the produces and information pops up). If you want to learn more about Mr. Richardson, read this article archived at the North Carolina Museum of History. The article is called, "The Man Who Helped the World Breathe Easier."

We made sure to get a slice of sky in the background so that we could share today's post with the world on SkyWatch Friday! We tried to capture the sky on a night when it was close to the color of VapoRub's cobalt blue jar.