Greensboro Daily Photo

1953 Buick Riviera and a Great Conversation

Yesterday, we headed just over the Guilford County line, to Kernersville and struck up a conversation with the owner of this 1953 Buick Riviera. The conversation started with asking for permission to take a photo of the car and ended with a great story. The car is owned by Rodney Robles, photographed above. Mr. Robles inherited the car from his grandfather 30 years ago, when his grandfather, John Wesley Lowery, died at the age of 104. Mr. Lowery, a horticulture and forestry major,  was the first Native American to graduate from Virginia Tech. Mr. Lowery left his vintage cars to Mr. Robles because of his grandson's love of cars and his willingness to "talk cars" with anyone interested- like us. Not only did Mr. Robles talk about his vintage cars (he has more than one), he let "Ms. Greensboro Daily Photo"  sit in the driver's seat and get her picture taken. If you attend antique car shows, you may already know Mr. Robles, or at least recognize his cars. They are the ones painted in Virginia Tech colors as grandfather was a proud and loyal alum.  While Mr. Robles still works, he is retired from his career as a state trooper. 

On another note, Greensboro is preparing for Tommy Orange's visit here to talk about his book, "There, There" and how wonderful it would be if Mr. Orange would have an opportunity to meet Mr. Robles and his family. In his book, Mr. Orange articulates the west-coast, Native American experience masterfully. After a few short minutes of talking with Mr. Robles, we are confident he could share some great east-coast, Native American stories. He and his family are originally from Lumberton, NC. Both men would enjoy each other tremendously. Mr. Robles, ever the gentleman would have stayed and talked longer, but he was on his way to take dinner home to his wife. Her dinner will arrive in style and be delivered with a smile! 

Part of the Fabulous Orchestra Pit at "Wicked"

The above photo is of the orchestra pit at Tanger Center. During the intermission of Wicked, several people were up front by the stage looking at the instruments and musicians. As you can see from the above photo, musicians - at least the ones who play instruments that involved blowing through them-  are encased in a cubicle ( a COVID protocol). The trumpet player in the front/left part of the photo, Rusty Smith, was ever so patient with a middle school child who was talking music with him. The student admitted to not practicing enough and Rusty was giving him musician-to-musician advice. Rusty is one of the local musicians to play during Wicked. The others are Carla Copeland-Burns, Anna Lampidis, Wayne Leechford, Lynn Beck (in photo, playing French horn), Sean Devlin , John Beck, Jesse Kapsha, John Simonetti, and David Lane. There were also 6 people in the traveling orchestra.

Every aspect of Wicked was perfect; the acting, the set, the dancing, singing, and music. It is especially nice to know some musicians were local. We wish we had been able to interview performers and musicians to see what it is like to perform at the Tanger Center for the inaugural Broadway show. Indeed, it is going to be a good season!

Wicked at the Steven Tanger Center (aka T-PAC)

"Wicked" played to a sold out crowd last night at the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts (T-PAC). It was the last night of the play. It was extremely well received by the community, as is the Tanger Center itself. The above photo was taken well before the play started, before many people had taken their seats. Helping with filling the house is the practice of having a digital lottery for seats available for $25 for those who are selected (see here for details, in case they offer this option for future plays). Broadway in NYC has "Rush" as their opportunity for heavily discounted "same day" tickets. The theater is so wonderful and seeing a Broadway quality play performed is something everyone should experience at least once. If you ever have an extra ticket that you can't use, consider giving it so someone who otherwise might not be able to afford one.  Everything about "Wicked" was fabulous, from the acting, to the set design, to the orderly manner in which ushers helped people to their seats. All of the seats appear to be good ones.

The next Broadway play offered at Tanger is "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" from November 9-14. This run is not as long as "Wicked." If you like that 70s sound, get your tickets soon. See the rest of the lineup, here. After one big show, people are already talking about what a wonderful community resource we now have downtown. As we were leaving the theater tonight, all of the trucks and a bus were lined up to strike the set for the play. By the time this post publishes, there will. be no evidence that "Wicked" was ever in Greensboro; well, that is except for all of the t-shirts and other items from the merchandise stand everyone will be wearing for a very long time.

Cemetery First Presbyterian at the Greensboro History Museum

Today's photo was taken at the entrance to the cemetery behind the Greensboro History Museum, which was formerly the First Presbyterian Church. The cemetery has been restored and is now part of the museum property. Many graves of prominent Greensboro residents are here; for example, former Governor Morehead- North Carolina's only governor from Guilford County. There are graves dating back to the early 1800s. In addition to benches that accommodate pause and silent mediation, the plants and trees are very calming. It is a true oasis of greenery in downtown. There are long and short leaf pine, holly trees, palmetto trees, and more. *

This is the time of year when people go to the cemetery to clean the graves. Catholics have All Souls' Day. Soon many people in Mexico and Central Mexico, (and the USA) will celebrate the Day of the Dead. The cemetery at the history museum isn't always open so check with a docent, or anyone inside the museum, to get a schedule for when it is open. Truly, this whole museum complex is one of Greensboro's finest, downtown treasures!  Happy Sunday!

* reference and more information from Joel Gillespie, HERE.

Walking Downtown on Greene Street

As we were walking along Greene Street recently, we were struck by the muted colors and then, out of nowhere, these spray painted utility line stripes. The building just behind the light pole is the Greene Street Central Fire Station. It was built in 1926 when the city transitioned to professional fire fighters. There were six bays, enough for six fire trucks. Today, the building is part of the Marriott Hotel. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so it should remain a visible reminder of Old Greensboro for a very long time.*

Speaking of Greene Street, if you want to get to know the area better, this upcoming Wednesday, October 27th, meet up at Guilford Green (121 Greene Street) at 5:30 pm to walk the entire length of the 4-mile Downtown Greenway. Put on your best walking shoes and hit the pavement with us. Or, get a jumpstart and come downtown today and walk. Speaking of walking, do you see people walking in the photo? Happy Saturday, dear readers!

 

Reference and more information, here.

Bellemeade Parking Deck

Bellemeade Parking Deck between Elm, Bellemeade, and Greene Street just got a whole lot busier now that it is one of the designated parking decks for the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. The above photo was taken recently as people were filing in to attend Wicked. Police have been there to help ensure traffic runs smoothly in these opening weeks of Tanger. As you can see, traffic bogs down a little bit, so you want to arrive early. Plus, it is fun to stroll leisurely to your seat once in the theater. Sometimes, there can be a little bit of a delay getting out. We just need to remind ourselves that we didn't have to drive to Durham, Raleigh, or Charlotte to see Broadway plays.

The Bellemeade Deck is 8 stories and can accommodate over 1,200 cars. Did you know it is built on the site of the former O. Henry Hotel and that the O. Henry statues are right across the street from the deck? As you can see from the above photo, the structure is a combination of cement and granite. The cement is functional as it is strong enough to support the weight of the cars; the granite is a stylish touch. Today is Friday and while it is not First Friday, it is always a great time to be downtown.

More New Construction on Jessup Grove Road!

For years, Jessup Grove Road was a sleepy cut through street connecting Horse Pen Creek Road to Lewiston Road. Since Prohelific Park was built on Horse Pen Creek, this part of town has seen a lot of change. The above lot was empty for several years. The lot next to it already has a pediatric clinic built on it. It will be interesting to monitor the progress on this building. The signage out front advertises Stitch Design Shop and Landmark Construction. According to Biz Journals, Dermatology Specialists are building on this lot at 4527 Jessup Grove Road. Currently, it looks pretty purple; however, when finished the design will be warm wood and glass with an angular roofline, already evident. 

Seeing all of these changes and knowing the Jessup name is one with a long history in Greensboro, we did a little research to see just how long Jessups have been here. According to WikiTree, Thomas Jessup, see also Jessop, was born in 1715 in Yorkshire, England. Jessop was a lifelong Quaker who eventually settled in Guilford County. We wonder how connected the Jessup family members today are with their Jessup ancestors/Quaker heritage dating back over 300 years ago.*  We wonder what Thomas, who was born before electricity, cars, and over 150 years before the telephone was invented, would react seeing this building after it was completed. Thomas Jessup was actually born almost 100 years before Greensboro was a city. Surely, if there is any room to name something on the remaining land on Jessup Grove Road, it can be named for Thomas Jessup. If he wasn't the first, he was at least one of the earliest Jessups in the area. Do you know who the earliest people in Guilford County are with your surname? It seems the more we explore Greensboro, the more questions we have. Happy Thursday! If you need a dermatologist, Dermatology Specialists may be one to consider.

* reference and read more, HERE.

Frogs and Winter

This past Sunday, even the frogs in Greensboro were getting ready for winter. Soon, these Southern Leopard Frogs* will find their hibernating space for winter. Then, in early spring, these cold blooded creatures will emerge to mate and, even if we don't see them, we will hear them. These frogs are native to eastern North America. They eat bugs and beetles so they are really good to have around in the yard. Remember, if you use insecticides, they are traveling up the food chain through the frogs. This one could have been looking for a place to hibernate among the leaves and silt in the potted plants. They need to be protected from extreme cold and in a place where they won't dry out.

What are you doing to get ready for winter? With these cooler temperatures over the last few days, it is beginning to feel a lot more like fall. And this little froggie knows it. Happy Wednesday!

*at least that's what we think it is. It could also be a Pickerel frog. Do you know?