Greensboro Daily Photo

The Greensboro Holiday Parade

The Greensboro Holiday Parade was held this past Saturday (12/7/24) and while the weather was cold, it was sunny and enthusiasm was high. The above photo was taken at what we refer to as Greensboro's epicenter. The crossover of Market and Elm Street is the point that separates north/south (Elm) and east/west (Market). The iconic building in the background is the Jefferson Standard Building, built in 1922. At 374 ft. tall with 18 floors, when it was build, it was the tallest building between Atlanta and Washington D.C. 

In the foreground, you see children smiling, and they were from noon- 2:00 p.m. when the parade ended. The soccer ball was part of the float entry by the Guilford Futbol Club. Based on the children on the float, it looks like they have teams for children of all ages. The man navigating the inflatable soccer ball was encouraging little ones to kick it, which was a hit with all the children standing near us. Downtown Greensboro was hopping with energy this whole weekend. Let's hope the foot traffic continues through the season.

Happy Monday!

The Worship Place

On Friday, at the Festival of Lights, so many groups were out performing and interacting with the public. The Worship Place sang on the southeast corner of the 500 block of South Elm Street, under Jim Gallucci's 911 sculpture. The Worship Place is a contemporary, Christian church is located at 1808  Merritt Drive. Glenn and Melody Eliseo are the evangelists at the helm at The Worship Place. Glen grew up in California and preached his first service at age 18. They both settled in Greensboro in 1989 and have continued their ministry here since then. Melody is a second generation preacher. Their choice sings with such joy, enthusiasm, and talent, they fill the night with the message of the meaning of Christmas. In addition to Sunday services, they hold midweek services. We think this same group has been on this corner for several years and we anticipate their returning next year.

Happy Sunday-- only two more before Christmas!

Festival of Lights 2024

Last night, the Festival of Lights was held in downtown Greensboro. It was holiday fun from LeBauer Park to the 500 block of South Elm Street.  The above photo was taken at the corner of Market and Elm Streets, where north and south and east and west are divided.To the left, you can see Elm Street peeking out. 

This display was one of the many picture-perfect places for families to snap photos along Elm Street. The photo is a bit deceptive, because it doesn't look like there were any people. In all actuality, the First Friday/Festival of Lights was very well attended. It seems like the days in December start to pass quickly and it will be January before we know it. Tomorrow is the holiday parade. expect temperatures around 40º. Just like last night, getting out and interacting with others will be fun and rewarding. Head on out and see for yourself.

Happy Saturday!

Festival of Lights Tonight!

Tonight is the Festival of Lights in downtown Greensboro. The Festival of Lights will be tonight from 5:30- 9:00 p.m. The community tree lighting will happen at 6:56 in Center City Park. All night long, there will be plenty to do in the Cultural District, in the two downtown parks, and all along Elm Street. Here is a map. There will be music, food trucks, dancers, hand warmers, and more. The above photo, taken in a previous years in Hamburger Square, show how much the event brings the community together. The evening is so festive and has been a Greensboro tradition for nearly 40 years. 

It will be cold tonight, so if you head downtown, bundle up. If you are planning on taking photos, remember to dress in bright, holiday colors. Also, downtown, tomorrow is the Holiday Parade, from 12:00- 2:00 p.m. This is a busy weekend for holiday activities. After this weekend, there are two more weekends until Christmas.

Happy Friday, and let the fun begin!

Yvonne Johnson-- Greensboro Has Lost a Special Person

Yesterday, Greensboro lost a very special person, Yvonne Johnson, age 82. She was working for Greensboro, as city council member at-large and mayor pro-tem of the Greensboro City Council, right until the very end. The above photo was taken in her home in 2015 when we interviewed her for Greensboro Daily Photo.*  She has worked tirelessly for the people of Greensboro all of her adult life, including serving as  mayor (2007-2009). Of course, now that she is gone, we think of all the things we would have loved to asked her, for example, about her involvement in the Sit-In Movement and her undergraduate years at Bennett College. The Festival of Lights will not be the same without her this year. It was also such a joy to see her and to be greeted by her at community events. She  had such a warm smile and calm demeanor.

We treasure the memory of the afternoon we spent with her in her home on the east side of Greensboro. After the interview, it was raining so her husband walked us to the car under his umbrella. They both insisted. She has been such an integral part of the fabric of Greensboro for decades. It is hard to imagine that she is gone. We can hardly imagine Greensboro without Yvonne Johnson.

Fox News wrote an informative piece  HERE.

*This is a link to our interview HERE. 

Let It Snow!

Above is a glimpse of the dusting of snow on the ground in Greensboro yesterday morning. Just like that, temperatures dipped into the 20s and with the cool air, a little snow appeared in the night. Don't be fooled though, the roads were icy. There were several accidents and some roads were closed. The call came in about 4:30 am for Guilford County Schools to be on a three hour delay. By 8:30, the decision was made to cancel school today. It was probably best to not have busses full of children on the roads or high school students driving. We'll see what today brings. Anticipated temperatures are between lows in the 20s to highs in the 40s with temperatures warming by Sunday.

In December, once it gets this cold, winter clothing and Christmas sweaters appear. The temperatures will certainly make it feel like Christmas for those who will be downtown on Friday evening for the Festival of Lights and on Saturday for the Christmas parade.

Happy Wednesday!

Small Business Saturday at Just Be

Small business seems to have been a success in downtown Greensboro where all of the retail stores are small businesses. The above photo features Joseph Leonard of WFMY-2 News who was interviewing Kathryn Hashemi of Just Be. Just Be is a carefully curated gift shop at the corner of McGee and South Elm Street. Kathryn has owned Just Be for about six years, but the store has been going strong in that location since 2005.  The store is a perfect blend of items crafted by local artists to international, fair trade items. Jewelry, great candles, scarves, clothing, and puzzles are just a few of the items in the store. She also has quite a selection for small children. She is so personable and prides herself in knowing her regular customers and what they like. Some of us go in and ask "What's new that we need Kathryn?" and she usually quickly finds something perfect that we end up purchasing.

After Joseph was finished interviewing Kathryn, we interviewed him for Greensboro Daily Photo. Originally from Lexington, South Carolina. Joseph is a multi-media journalist with a degree from the University of South Carolina, now working for WFMY. He is so personable and interviewing him and being interviewed by him feels like talking to an old friend. Yes, he turned the tables on us for a quick interview about what we find special about shopping the small businesses. Of course we said the connection to the people who start out as proprietors and quickly become friends- like Kathryn.

Happy Tuesday! Three more sleeps until the Festival of Lights!

Hudson's Hill Has Relocated to 314 S. Elm St.!

Hudson's Hill, formerly in the 500 block of South Elm Street, in the old Coe's Grocery Building, relocated to 314 South Elm on Black Friday. After less than a week in the new location, they are already seeing increased foot traffic. This local store is known for its jeans, Greensboro shirts and sweatshirts, and leatherwork. They have jeans that still have a Greensboro connection. One of the owners, Evan Morrison, uses original machinery from closed Greensboro textile mills to weave denim for jeans. Hudson's Hill also carries Susan Ridenhour's pottery and many other products with a Greensboro connection.

The above photo features Tinker Clayton, one of the owners, and one of his employees, Jenny. We first spoke at length to Jenny because Tinker was busy setting up VHS Christmas movies in the storefront window. We guess when someone needs to patiently wait for their friend or partner to shop or get a fitting, they can sit in the window and watch old VHS tapes.

Hudson's Hill was open in the former location for 13 years. They have barely scratched the surface of filling the above space with inventory and equipment to make even more products on site. They have big plans, combined with all the talent it takes to make quality products, the old-fashioned way. This is the ultimate place to buy local and to learn about Greensboro's tradition as a mill town. It is so nice to see the Miller Furniture Store put to good use after being empty for decades. With a little arm twisting, Mr. Miller agreed to rent to Hudson's Hill. Perhaps he has been waiting all these years for just this type of tenants- people who value quality, tradition, and connection to community. Check out Hudson's Hill at the Festival of Lights this Friday.

Yes, dear readers, it is already December!  Happy Monday!