Greensboro Daily Photo

Foucault Pendulum in Greensboro

A Foucault pendulum is used to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. In the above photo, we see the Foucault pendulum at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro. The Paris Observatory displayed the first one publicly in 1851. Perhaps the most famous Foucault pendulum is the one in the Pantheon in Paris, named after the French physicist who conceived the experiment. Wikipedia has a complete list of Foucault pendulums in the world categorized by country and by state for the USA. From this list, we learned that Greensboro actually has two: one at the Natural Science Center and one at NCA&T University. There are four total in North Carolina, one in nearby Winston-Salem and another in Fayetteville. According to the Wikipedia list, 39/50 US states boast at least one pendulum. 

This is our contribution to Monochrome Weekly. The monochrome theme recently celebrated its first anniversary. 

Union Grove Baptist Church: Sin and Salvation in one Field

Union Grove Baptist Church looks like the typical brick and white-steepled church in the American south. However, Union Grove Baptist has the distinction of being located behind a tobacco field on Highway 150 and Union Grove Road in northwest Guilford County. Therefore, for today's Sacred Sunday, we have combined salvation and sin in one photo! 

The website for the church is very informative with respect to church events, beliefs, and mission. Unfortunately, they don't have a page telling about the history of the building and the congregation. Otherwise, we would share more.

By the way, we're pretty sure the church does not own the tobacco field!

Greensboro Masonic Temple

The Masonic Temple, located at 426 W. Market Street in downtown Greensboro, is home to the Greensboro York Rite Bodies. Their annual fall festival will begin this Wed., September 2, 2009. According to Wikipedia, Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that began in the 16th century. Freemasonry is a system of morality based in belief in a Supreme Being. The highly-secretive organization is veiled in allegory and symbols. 

The Greensboro building is very attractive. However, we find the sign, featured today, with the iconic Masonic square and compass surrounding the letter "G" to be extremely intriguing. The weathered copper sign is a landmark on West Market Street.

Tobacco Road Fading in Guilford County

The history of growing tobacco in North Carolina dates to 1586; that's right, over four hundred years ago! Tobacco company headquarters, family fortunes made, famous cigarette brands advertised, smoking permitted everywhere, tobacco barns dotting the fields, tobacco markets and auctions, all of theses images of the mighty dried brown leaf and the white rings of smoke are drying up in North Carolina. Today, you are as likely to read about tobacco-free initiatives in Greensboro as you are to to see a tobacco field. For those who have lost loved ones to tobacco-related diseases, diminishing tobacco use is great news. However, for those whose land has grown tobacco for centuries, this change is bittersweet. As an example of the decrease in tobacco crops, we share the following statistic. In nearby Richmond County, a rural area known for its large farms and fresh produce stands, the number of people growing tobacco, as of 2009, is: Two. 

The above Sky Watch photo was taken in a tobacco field on Highway 150 in northwest Guilford County. As you can see, tobacco is a beautiful green plant before it is dried becoming an evil weed. You can also see the red clay soil in which the tobacco is growing. Oh, and then there is that stunning Carolina blue sky!

Carolina Tattoo Company

As fall semester gets underway at local universities, we have many new faces in Greensboro. For parents of incoming freshman, likely, it has been hard to let go and trust that their children will thrive independent of the family unit. Here we see one of the ways students announce their newfound freedom: tattoos. Carolina Tattoo Company, located 1029 West Lee Street, just a block away from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro was established in 1993. It is the oldest tattoo shop in the area and has seven tattoo artists. Likely, many a student will cross the threshold this fall.

While some of us will be gearing up to spend Labor Day weekend out of town, many people will be coming into Greensboro for the 15 Annual NC Tattoo Convention to be held at the Downtown Marriott September 4-6, 2009. At least 70 tattoo artists will be available to provide tattoos and body piercings. Little John's Tattoo shop sponsors the event. Little John was known far and wide for his amazing tattoo artistry. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago. However, his store is still going strong and many people still sport his tattoos. Next time you see an interesting tattoo, ask the "owner" about it. Often, there are fascinating stories about a tattoo's meaning and symbolism. By the way, is tattooee a word?

Modern Upholstery Company

The Modern Upholstery Company, 1101 Greensboro Road, offers these brightly colored rugs. As our county prepares for the Fall 2009 International Furniture Market, many businesses, small and large, hope to attract buyers from all over the world. Market dates this fall will be October 17-22 and the venues are many. 

High Point's furniture industry began in 1889, with the opening of a furniture factory. The first Southern Furniture Market, located in High Point, opened in 1909 and, according to the market timeline, attracted over 100,000 guests for Spring Market 2006. The International Furniture Market in High Point, North Carolina, is famous for its southern hospitality, quality furniture, great selection and bargain prices. 

Before this fall's show, we'll share some iconic pictures, like the furniture pieces that are several stories tall; however, this bright rug display got us in the "market mood." The color just pops out of nowhere. Needless to say, we pulled off the road and grabbed this shot. Usually we share our photos as they are taken without much enhancement or cropping.Today we worked with the color, clarity, & temperature a little bit.

Back to School in North Carolina

Today is Back to School Day for many North Carolina students, including the K-12 public school students in the Greensboro/Guilford County Schools. Here we see a path leading to James Benson Dudley Senior High School at 1200 Lincoln Street. Likely, by the time you are reading this post, many feet will be walking along this path towards the historic, dynamic, and newly-renovated Dudley campus. Here's to a great school year for our 70,000+ students and 2,500+ teachers in our 111 schools. 

UNCG's Former Chancellor, Patricia A. Sullivan, Remembered

Dr. Patricia Sullivan, the former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (from 1995-2008), will be buried today. The community mourns the loss.  

While she actually lived on Sunset Drive, in a home donated to the University by the Bryan family, Dr. Sullivan oversaw the complicated efforts to preserve the former chancellor's home, seen in the photo above. This building is now located just west of the Mossman Administration Building where she worked. From the beautiful blooms in the rose garden to the Patricia A. Sullivan Science Building, built durning her tenure and named in her honor, her presence is everywhere on the UNCG campus.

St. Matthew's United Methodist Church: Another Sacred Sunday

St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, organized in 1866, is the oldest and largest African-American Church in the Conference of Western North Carolina. The church, located at 600 East Florida Street, has occupied several location and structural changes. The current building, photographed from the back-- Britton Street side, was built in 1971 and has an angular, mod, linear, yellow-brick 1970's look.

The church has accomplished many religious, educational, social, and civic deeds in it's 140+ year history. As examples: In 1873, Bennett College, a local institution of higher education for African-American women, started in the basement of St. Matthew's. The first Boy Scout troop for African-Americans in Greensboro was organized and met here (Troop 441).

This is Greensboro Daily Photo's eighth month of Sacred Sunday shots. Search "religion" on our sidebar categories on the right to enjoy other photos.

Greensboro Farmers' Market(s) on Saturday

Saturday is Farmers' Market(s) Day for us. First, we'll head to the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market at 501 Yanceyville St. and then we'll head out to the Piedmont Triad Farmers' Market. Between the two venues, there will be plenty of local produce; plus, we'll see friends and take plenty of photos! This photo of peaches was taken earlier in the season but is still in the spirit of buying locally! We've got a bushel of hot peppers waiting for us at the Farmer's Market off of Sandy Ridge Road. We love hot peppers but still aren't sure what we'll do with a whole bushel. If you have ideas, let us know. If you are local and want to teach us to can in exchange for some of the spoils, let us know!

Skywatch Friday: By Rusty For Sue

Today's beautiful Skywatch Friday picture is the sky seen through the metal dragonfly sculpture at Greensboro's Center City Park. This is our first post by a guest photographer. Faithful GDP reader Sue sent this picture taken by her husband, Rusty. When we e-mailed Sue to get permission to use his name, she said she would be honored because he died a few months ago of Lou Gehrig's Disease. Sue, today is your day with a photo by Rusty for you. GDP readers, as we skywatch today, let us keep Sue, Rusty, and our own loved ones in our thoughts.

Thrill of the Hunt

Thrill of the Hunt, located at 3122 Battleground Avenue, is a fabulous vintage collectibles store. Here, you can find mid-twentieth century furniture-- chic, shabby chic, a little retro and, other great vintage items, including TONS of unique, vintage jewelry. Proprietor Carol P. left corporate life several years ago and hasn't looked back. She loves owning her own business and spending time around  people who appreciate collectibles with provenance! The above photo is just a tiny slice of the wonderful items in her shop.

Thrill of the Hunt offers furniture painting classes, interior design services, occasional outdoor flea markets, and, just recently, has ventured into etsy with a new line of one-of-a-kind upcycled, vintage jewelry. Fellow blogger, tomboyaroundtown, also sings Carol's praises. What do you collect? Where is the best area to find antique stores in your town?  Mr. and Mrs. GDP would love head your way on a shopping spree/photo shoot! 

Addendum: As of 2011, The Thrill of the Hunt has been reinvented as a jewelry-only place called Preen. Carol said vintage and repurposed jewelry became the majority of her sales. 

Enter: Jail Expansion... Exit: Zenke Houses

Today, we feature two of the three Zenke Family properties in the process of being relocated to other lots in downtown Greensboro. The off-white building on the right, in the 1899 Queen Ann Style, housed offices for their family's interior decorating business. The white house, peeking out on the left, served as the family's residence. The white house, the oldest of the structures, was built in the 1830's as a home for minister Eli Caruthers, biographer of David Caldwell. The first addition to the home was made in the 1840's when Greensboro Merchant Washington Jefferson McConnell assumed ownership. Henry Zenke enclosed the porches in the mid 20th century. 

The properties need to be moved from the Blandwood & Edgeworth & Washington Streets to make room for the expansion of the Guilford County Jail.When the decision was made to expand the jail, the Zenkes had the choice of 1) living with the jail wrapped around their houses, creating an isolated peninsula of homes; 2) tearing down the properties; or 3) relocating the properties. They elected to relocate three properties and tear down a fourth. Part of the relocation effort is funded by Preservation Greensboro Inc. and part of it is funded by the Zenke Family.

Chris and Gina Zenke  are a dynamic duo of siblings as determined to save the family homestead as they are to continue the Zenke tradition of providing quality interior decorating in Greensboro. Chris and Gina have an extensive slideshow documenting every detail of the complicated process of moving an historic structure. We hope they write a book about these properties and this amazing labor of love. We hope Guilford County continues to work with the Zenke's to preserve these historic properties!

If you want to see more "E" photos from around the world, please visit the alphabet meme crowd here. Hence the title, Enter: Jail.... Exit: Zenke Houses.

The People's Market and Gardens in Glenwood Neighborhood

The People's Market and Gardens is located in the heart of the Glenwood neighborhood, just south of Lee Street and east of the Coliseum. Perhaps the garden IS the heart of Glenwood. On the day we stopped by, this neighbor was taking a break from web designing to come out and chat with locals while pruning, weeding, and watering.

Community gardens are an urban trend, bringing neighbors together and providing a local food source. The garden area in the photograph has so much potential. The large parking lot in front would be the perfect venue for a small farmer's market, community yard sales, you name it. Kudos to the residents of Glenwood for making such a commitment to bringing your neighborhood back to its original beauty. We're convinced that a good coffee shop would help significantly. In the meantime, we enjoyed our chat in the garden!

Dancing the Car Clean at Rainbow Car Wash

Rainbow Car Wash in located on Battleground Avenue between Greensboro Dance Studio and Taco Bell. Seeing the word DANCE motivates you to do a little dance as you are washing your vehicle. Rainbow is an "old school" car wash where you do the cleaning yourself; no crew to detail your vehicle for you nor does it have an automatic brush system. The Rainbow system requires good old-fashioned hard work! This young co-ed was taking advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday and concentrating on getting her car clean. By the time she finished, it was spotless!  Next time you are faced a some monotonous task... DANCE! Do you think she is listening to polkas or hip hop? 

This is our contribution to Monochrome Weekly where you can tour the world in sepia and black and white! 

West Market Street United Methodist Church

West Market Street United Methodist Church is today's Sacred Sunday post.  The history of the church, including its growth and its many locations, is outlined on their extensive website. 

The original part of the church, seen in the foreground of the above photo, was built in the late 1800's to accommodate the growing number of Methodists in the city. Not long after the church had been built, its stained glass windows were acquired. They are authentic Tiffany windows and, I believe, were brought to Greensboro by the pastor, via the world's fair at the turn of the last century. Another treasure of the church was acquired in 1999, a Dobson-Rosales organ. Additionally, they have a set of the "stations of the cross" paintings, known also as the Via Dolorosa. The paintings, depicting key points in the life of Christ,  date from about 1890 and come from a small church in France near the Belgian border. 

We applaud WMSUMC for staying downtown even through the years when many organizations were relocating to the suburbs. At some point, we hope to get inside the church and photograph the artwork. For now, we can enjoy the building itself as a work of art framed by a turquoise sky and light, billowy clouds.

Pepsi Cola and College Hill Sundries

College Hill Sundries, seen above, is a libation-intense bar located at the corner of S. Mendenhall and Spring Garden Streets, between two college campuses (UNCG and Greensboro College). Close proximity and bargain prices are the priorities for many of their patrons. We took this photo, however, to feature the advertised drink, Pepsi Cola. 

Pepsi was first made and served in the 1890's by North Carolina pharmacist, Mr. Caleb Bradham. Unfortunately Greensboro was not the birthplace of Pepsi. New Bern, NC has that distinction. To see a photo and an original painting of the very corner building where Pepsi was first served, please visit this blog entry of Bernie Rosage, Jr., North Carolina artist and fellow blogger. 

Finally, if you stop by College Hill Sundries to admire this sign, walk across the street and visit Greensboro's latest vintage home and garden store: Adelaide's Corner Cottage. 

Carolina Steel Corporation

Carolina Steel began in Greensboro in 1919 and was known for bending and modifying steel to use in factories and commercial buildings. As the nation's need for roads and bridges expanded, Carolina Steel made steel girders for highway use.  Changes in the economy precipitated a reorganization of the company. As best we can tell, if the Carolina Steel still exists, it is a subsidiary of Hirschfeld Industries. To the right of this brick building is a metal building with a sign for the business, ONEAL, The Metals Company.

At any rate, the building is still standing strong and flying the flag on Elm/Eugene just south of downtown. If anyone knows more about Carolina Steel, please send information our way. We just loved the way that simple font and bold title situated this little slice of Skywatch Friday sky over Greensboro!

Proximity Hotel and Print Works Bistro

Proximity Hotel and Print Works Bistro are locally owned by Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels. Both the hotel and bistro have attained a top-level, LEED Platinum rating for being environmentally friendly. As one example, Proximity Hotel has an unbelievable 100 solar panels on the roof. Talk about harnessing the sun's energy, WOW! The two businesses were named for local mills:  Proximity Manufacturing Cotton Mill (1896) and Proximity Print Works Mill (1912). Details about the green aspect, photos of interior spaces, and local mill history are available on the hotel's links, provided above. 

On a lighthearted note, if the square is your shape, this hotel is for you. Notice the 7x7 matrix of those large windows with 3x3 square grids. Like to be in the middle of things? Stay in the room that is 4,4 on the x and y axis! RARE to find a building so square!

If you are ever in Greensboro, and want to learn more about history and environmental friendliness,or just want a close place to stay, consider booking a night at Proximity. If you are a photographer, head over for a visit as it is fun to photograph. The above photo was taken on the Wendover side of the property-- not an easy view to capture we might add! 

Rain Brings Us Together

This photograph was taken at the Greensboro Arboretum during the Summer Solstice Festival of 2008. It came across our desk as we going through the archives. We love the way people made the most of the summer downpour by sharing umbrellas and huddling together. All the giggling made us feel as if we were five-years-old again!  Next time you are down in the dumps, remember, rain can, indeed, bring us together. Everyone, but the vendors, was happy that day. The Greensboro Arboretum hosts many events and always has interesting flora; truly, a photographer's delight.

We think it is perfect for to share for the Watery Wednesday and the Monochrome Weekly groups. 

House with Solar Panels on 16th Street at Billy "Crash" Craddock Bridge

On 16th Street, just east of the Billy "Crash" Craddock Bridge, and near Cone Mills,  you will find this little white house with blue trim and solar panels. The house is in pristine condition and the owners must be very conscious of energy consumption. 

We stumbled on the house by chance, out photographing Buffalo Presbyterian Church and the Billy "Crash" Craddock Bridge. If you are from elsewhere, you might not know that the 16th Street Bridge was recently rebuilt and renamed a few years ago for the country rockabilly singer who was born, nearby, in Greensboro. If we were journalists, we'd want to interview the home owners and find out just how "green" the house is.  Hats off to these good neighbors for harnessing solar energy! 

Biscuitville-- Fast. Friendly. Fluffy.

Today we feature a Biscuitville truck and driver. The driver was stopping by the corporate office at 1414 Yanceville Street. We were amazed at how effortless he made it look to maneuver this huge truck into the small parking lot! If you don't know about Biscuitville, click through or read our condensed version!

In 1966, flour salesman Maurice Jennings opened two bread stores in Burlington, NC. He decided to make pizzas at the stores. That business expanded into Pizzaville; however, since people do not order pizza for breakfast, Mr. Jennings put the ovens to use in the mornings by making biscuits, an iconic Southern food. Over time, ham biscuits outsold pizza and Mr. Jennings opened his first fully-dedicated biscuit restaurant, Biscuitville, in Danville, VA.  Today, Mr. Jennings' son, Burney, operates their fifty stores. At every Biscuitville, the cook stands behind a glass window where you can watch biscuit dough being mixed fresh, from scratch, before you eyes. The cooks are very fussy about the quality of their biscuits and the employees really do exude Southern charm. Don't be offended if the drive through attendant calls you "honey" or "sugar" or "ma'am" and invites "ya'all" to "stop back soon."  Fresh biscuits, a good money value, and polite workers getting your order ready quickly is what the locals expect from Biscuitville!

We love the cheerful look of this bright yellow truck-- our contribution to Mellow Yellow Monday. 

Buffalo Presbyterian Church

The Buffalo Presbyterian Church, located at 803 16th Street, was established in 1756. The founders and members were mostly Scotch-Irish coming from their homeland to Greensboro via Pennsylvania. According to the website of the church, the present sanctuary was erected in 1826-7 and when the walls were extended in 1956, great effort was made to match the old hand made bricks. This beautiful property includes a memorial garden, two educational buildings, an historical room, a renovated manse, and a cemetery on the property. Buffalo Church has many community outreach projects.

Long, multiple-building institutions (like churches and schools), in older neighborhoods, on well-landscaped lots, are almost impossible to do justice with one photograph. We could post a photo a Sunday of Buffalo Church and have enough photographs for the year. We settled on this view because it shows you how peaceful the property is once you get out of your car and walk around. Also, if you will notice the mature palm tree. Greensboro is located in the USDA Hardiness Zones 7a and 7b, which is a risky for palms outdoors; however, given the protection from the building, the palm trees on the church grounds seem to be thriving. 

The Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Greensboro

The Biltmore Hotel, located at 111 W. Washington St., was built in 1895. According to their website, they offer free continental breakfast in the morning and a wine and cheese reception in the evening, in addition to standard amenities like free Internet access, fitness center, and a free newspaper. If the air conditioning or heating system ever go out in our house, I think we'll pack up and head down to the Biltmore! Maybe we'll go their anyway for the fun of it!

Our readers from other states in the USA and beyond may not realize that this hotel is not related to another great NC destination, the Biltmore Estate. 

Plantation Pipe Line Company

Plantation Pipe Line Company is located near the Piedmont Triad International Airport. They sell all kinds of fuel for commercial, private, and military vehicles. They have over 3,000 miles of pipeline for their refined petroleum. Without a vehicle in the photo, it is hard to tell that these drums are actually several stories high. The ladders help provide some perspective.

We love the sky in this photo, taken last week as a storm was rolling in. The drums really look illuminated by that bright-foreboding sky. That acute angle of clouds almost looks like it is going to crush those drums. We decided that skyline deserved to be shared on Skywatch Friday.

The Saltbox

The Saltbox bills itself as a sampler of American Folk Art. This store has one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork, reproduction, period lighting,pottery, candles.... just so much in-store as well as online. We love the fact that The Saltbox has been around for 35 years. They have so many events throughout the year and are a great place to visit if you love decorating for holidays.

On the day we were on State Street photographing, this red car was parked in front of the store. At first, we were frustrated; it seemed like a puppy under your feet when you are trying to cook Sunday dinner. Finally, we realized that the car is actually quite beautiful and that the red color is visually appealing in front of the black and white store. Serendipity is such a large part of photography, we decided to seize the moment and snap this shot! Besides, many of our readers really like the vehicle posts and we haven't done one for a while!

 Here's to you, Saltbox!  And you... red car!

The Preyer Federal Building

The L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building/Courthouse,  located at the corner of W. Market and Eugene Streets, is a gem of an Art Deco building from the 1930's. Preservation Greensboro has written extensively about the building, including its construction which took 12 boxcars of Mt. Airy granite and 55 train car loads of Indiana Granite. So many architectural details can be seen by walking around the building, carvings, lamp posts, art deco details. Carved into the façade are the words, "United States Post Office and Court House." Unfortunately, cameras are not permitted inside and, since it is a federal building, they are strict. Formerly, there was a post office, federal courts, and offices inside; now, the post office is gone but the courts remain. 

On the day we were out taking this photo, one of the workers, outside waiting for a ride, talked about the beauty of the interior. "Why they still have the original marble dividers between the bathroom stalls. And, oh, you should see this one courtroom that has a detailed, gold painted ceiling. The building is just beautiful." We were touched by her pride in the building. We love the massive, solid look of this public building, constructed in the years of the Great Depression.

Flora and Fauna Around Greensboro

Today we celebrate the fleeting summer in Greensboro with this simple photo of a hydrangea and a lily. A friend brought us lily bulbs from Holland and they grow every year, in spite of the fact that we put no effort into them. We leave the bulbs in the ground to winter over. The Greensboro soil has been kind to them.

In front, you see a white hydrangea that suffers a little bit because it is still in a container and, every time we turn our head, in constant need of water. On the right, you see a bumble bee. He was acting like a puppy clinging to your heels in the kitchen. The bumble bee would not leave. Finally, I realized that the photo would actually look better with him in it. So, here is Mr. Bumblebee, mid-flight in his determined adventure to land on the hydrangea head. 

By the way, thanks to all of you who commented on yesterday's post. It was a fabulous day of substantive comments, the kind we were hoping for when starting this blog! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please accept this virtual bouquet if you are a regular reader and/or commenter on GDP. Oh, the bumblebee is optional!

Aerial View of the Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)

Here we see an aerial view of the Piedmont Triad International Airport, known in three-letter-airport-code as GSO. The photo was an afterthought on the part of Mrs. GDP. During a recent departure from GSO, thinking we were on a brief holiday from photographing Greensboro, we realized, "Wait, we don't have a picture of Greensboro from the air!" Out came the camera and snap, snap, snap. If you look closely, on the left-center edge of the photo, you can just barely see the tip of the wing.

We like this view because of the bent horizon line and the comparison of the cars on the road to the airplanes on the tarmac. Also, those giant square buildings are quite imposing for a city with less than 300,000 residents. 

This is our contribution to Monochrome Weekly. We love monochromes because, often, published black & white photos look like pictures that have been in someone's attic for decades!

National Conference of Christians and Jews

The National Conference of Christians and Jews was founded as an interfaith organization in 1927. To be more inclusive and appeal to members of all faiths, the organization was renamed the National Conference for Community and Justice -- NCCJ in both instances. The organization's objectives include promoting harmony between people with different belief systems and ethnic backgrounds. One important event for the organization hosts is Anytown, where high school students come together to learn conflict management and how not to judge, bully, discriminate, or have biases against others. Today, August 2, 2009, Anytown Session II kicks off another weeklong session in Greensboro.  

Rabbi Fred Guttman and Reverend Mark Sills are co-recipients of the organization's 2009 Citation Award. In 1991, Local  Chief Justice Henry E. Frye was awarded the Brotherhood Award when the organization was still called the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The above photo is of the Fisher Park office, located across the street from the First Presbyterian Church. Follow the above Anytown link to see photos of last year's participants.

UNCG Sapphires: Singing A'Cappella, at Night, in the Rain

The August 2009 theme for the 1,000 City Daily Photo sites around the globe is: NIGHT. Greensboro's contribution is this photo of the Sapphires, an all-female a'cappella singing group from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). We took the photo AT NIGHT in the pouring rain at Greensboro's 2008 Summer Solstice event. We want to feature this very talented group and encourage you to enjoy their music. Their always-fine music varies depending on the strengths of the current members. For example, in the above photo, the singer holding the water bottle makes amazing, percussive sounds with her mouth. This You Tube video is a good example of the percussive sound of the Sapphires. Also, the song, "Numb," an MP3 file on the Sapphires' My Space account will leave you convinced that they are using instruments.

The Sapphires formed in 2000, after two members of the Spartones, UNCG's male a'cappella group, decided that UNCG needed a female group. Ironic that the male group formed first since UNCG has only been accepting male students since 1968. At any rate, we are thrilled to have both groups in Greensboro.  Let's hope CDP's August 2009 Theme Day gives the Sapphires a little international recognition!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants