Greensboro Daily Photo

M is for McAdoo Heights

McAdoo Heights is a neighborhood located just south of State Street, between Elm and Church Streets, on the fringe of Old Irving Park. It was developed in the early 1900's as a commercial and residential community for mill workers. The close-knit community, known as a "town within a city,"  flourished until the 1940's (reference). It had restaurants, a hardware store, grocery stores, a movie theater, a school,many churches, and its own police officer. Street names include: Golden Gate, Newlyn, Macy, Bernard, Roseland, Buffalo, Georgia, Palm, and Shelton. In earlier years, it was also known as "The Heights."

As we drove around this neighborhood last weekend, we did get a sense of the charm of McAdoo Heights. The community garden, on Golden Gate Drive, is just lovely. Many houses are decorated for Halloween and and, the day we were there, several families out enjoying the fall afternoon. The above house, at 200 East Newlyn Street is larger than many of the one-story mill houses in the neighborhood. It was built in the 1928, also a little earlier than many in the neighborhood. The high triangles of the peaked roofline at the entrance are quite welcoming and the light blue door makes it clear where one it to enter. We'd like to think it has the character of an "anchor" house for the neighborhood the way it stands, in all its glory, on the corner of Georgia and East Newlyn.

We wonder if there is a connection between McAdoo Heights and the retired, professional basketball star, Bob McAdoo who is from Greensboro. He graduated from Smith High School (in the late 1960's) and is currently an assistant coach for the Miami Heat. Maybe Coach McAdoo is the keeper of some great information about this cozy little neighborhood with his same name. Any and all pieces of information would be greatly appreciated.

Today is ABC Wednesday and M is for McAdoo Heights. For our A-L neighborhood pages, look here.

 

*informative reference 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.

Autumn Vegetables

In Greensboro, the temperature dropped significantly yesterday, from what felt like 80 degrees on Saturday to in the 50's on Sunday. Above, you see the produce that we harvested from our back yard yesterday. Chez Mr. and Mrs. GDP, we've opted to nurse along our summer garden a little more, as opposed to being good southerners and planting cold crops (turnips, collards, radishes, mixed greens, broccoli, etc.). We still have okra (purple & green), a few cherry tomatoes, and eggplant.

Additionally, the fruit on our saijo persimmon tree is now ripe. It was so abundant this year that the top snapped off under the weight of the fruit. Saijo means "the very best one" in Japanese and rightfully so. The saijo persimmon doesn't need a pollinator tree, is disease resistent and is hardy in our planting zone. Wish us luck that the remaining half of the two-year-old tree will continue to grow. The photo shows about 1/4 of the fruit from the little tree so you can see what we mean by abundant. We have already turned the pulp from these persimmons into persimmon cake. Although we've enjoyed the fruit, we regret not pruning the tree back and learned our lesson the hard way.

One of Mr. GDP's favorite childhood foods was persimmon pudding, made with wild, native persimmons. The wild variety is labor intensive to prepare for use in the kitchen. The seeds are large and the amount of pulp significantly less than the Asian varieties. It is getting harder to find native persimmons. If you see some for sale, or better yet, free for the picking, please let us know. With each generation, there are fewer and fewer memories of seasonal foods. Just about any food one wants can be imported from somewhere these days. However, nothing beats the spicy tastes of fall... consumed in October and November! Making native persimmon pudding is a North Carolina tradition and is still on our to-do list.

Session House of Bethel Presbyterian

Today, we take you to the session house at Bethel Presbyterian, way out in the eastern end of the county. Above, we see the small facility that dates back to 1875. On the outside, the white wooden structure resembles a one room school house. As you can see, on the inside, it looks a lot like a one room schoolhouse, too.

Here is where the church archives documents relevant to the history of the church. For example, there are receipts showing where people had paid for the priviledge of sitting in the same pew for the year.  There are many photos of church leaders and members over the years housed here. The white, hanging lights at the back wall came from the sanctuary of Bethel. Archiving documents and maintaining a history is particularly important to a church like Bethel that not only has a 200-year history; it also has church members whose families date back to about the founding of the church. To these members, documenting the history is priceless. The little building that houses these memories is priceless, too.

Does your church (or other religious institution) have its history in order? If not, no better time than the present. Happy Sunday, everyone!

Margot Robinson, Artist

Margot Robinson is one of the many talented artistes with a studio in the Creative Center. The Center is located at 900 16th Street, across the street from Buffalo Presbyterian Church, at the western tip of the Billy "Crash" Craddock Bridge. It brings together creative souls from all over the city and offers everything from yoga to Spanish to studio space. Margot shares a very large 3rd floor studio with Karen Dresser whose art quilts can be seen adorning the wall. Karen's abstract figures, as seen above, complement Margot's textured, pottery pieces.

Margot's sculptures are known as peaceful warriors and they are based on Japanese tomb sculptures. Her intent is for the sculptures to bring "a feeling of peace and joy" to their owner. She leaves the eyes hollow; they are the window to the soul. The ambiguous ethnicity of the peaceful warriors leaves much of the interpretation up to the owner. Some of the figures are reminiscent of little Russian grandmothers; others resemble Japanese figures from a different era. Margot shapes something ancient, yet contemporary into each of her clay figures.We met up with Margot (and Karen) last night at the Center, where she treated us to snacks and great conversation.  

Last night's Candlelight Studio Tour at the Creative Center was the perfect way to finish out a great, First Friday. With a drum circle and hula hoopers outside, and artists like Margot inside, we saw firsthand just how vibrant Greensboro's art scene has become.

Autumn Knocks on Knox Road

Autumn is knocking at the door just about everywhere in Greensboro. We see it in the shorter days. We see it in the leaves beginning to turn. The okra has decided it is done blooming and the basil has gone go seed. Squirrels are scampering, collecting acorns from our city's large oak trees. October has got to be one of the loveliest months in North Carolina. Before you know it, the leaves will be at peak.

The above photo was taken in the eastern end of the county on Knox Road just across the street from Twin Oaks Ministry. It reminded us that, before you know it, many Greensboro families will be heading out to maize mazes, spooky woods, and haunted houses. Before we bring on those end of October activities, we'll concentrate on all that the beginning of the month has to offer. Of course tonight is First Friday and so downtown will be hoppin'. Also, from 8:00- 10:00 pm, the Creative Center at 900 16th Street will be holding a candlelight tour and Triad Stage is in full swing. Saturday is the Battleground Brewer's Guild will hold Octoberfest. On Sunday from 12:00- 5:00 pm, Art in the Arboretum will host their annual art and gardening event. If you know of other things and want to share, do add a comment. We'd love to hear what you are up to this weekend.

Battleground Brewer's Guild

The Battleground Brewer's Guild is located on Ballinger Road at Longview Hills. It is one of those rare, hold-out farms in the once bucolic area. Both the Brewer's Guild and  Coble Farm- a stone's throw away on the next hill- are close to being choked out by development. For now, however, the Battleground Brewer's Guild, founded in 2000, looks like it is there to stay.

The brewer's guild is centered around learning to brew and enjoy good beer.  A lot of learning, teaching and enjoying goes on during their monthly meetings. The organization's next big event is a members-only Octoberfest celebration this Saturday. Shortly thereafter, they will hold Skirmish in the Triad (November 3rd), their fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

The serendipitious uncovering of Battleground Brewer's Guild had us giddy with excitement this weekend. As we were exploring the Longview Hills neighborhood, we first noticed the cows, then the sign, then the grill, then the hops growing up the string. If you are over 21 and interested in this organization, read more here. Who knows, you may even be able to join soon enough to get in on these events. As for us, we are just thrilled to see cows and farmland so close to town.

L is for Longview Hills

Today is ABC Wednesday and for this round, we're featuring neighborhoods of Greensboro. For "L," we have Lake Jeanette, Latham Park, and Lindley Park, and likely a few others. We selected Longview Hills because we knew very little about the area and wanted to learn more. Longview Hills is a tiny neighborhood, less than a quarter of a square mile in size with a population of almost 350 residents. The neighborhood, extensively developed between 1970-1990, is built on what seems to have been farmland in a part of town that was a large Quaker settlement. The neighborhood has residents with above-average (for Greensboro) rates of bachelor's and master's degree. The neighborhood is close to Guilford College. 

Longview Hills is located just off Ballinger Road between I-73 and New Garden Road. It is a stone's throw from Friends Home and Arcadia Drive.  Buckhorn Road, Gretchen Lane, King George Drive, and Wakefield Place are also part of this neighborhood.  We are actually cheating a little bit as the above property is located at 1100 Rustic Road and Rustic is one street beyond the perimeter of Longview Hills. However, the property, built in 1955, is such a beauty and has probably the best view in the city of Longview Hills. Rustic Road actually becomes Arcadia at the bend in the road, just after this house. Also part of Arcadia runs through Longview Hills. 

We are intrigued by how these neighborhoods of Greensboro got their names and the extent to which the residents see the neighborhood a cohesive entity. The bridge is being rebuild at the Lenord Recreation Center end of the neighborhood; so don't plan on using it as a cut-through!

Campfires and Constellations

Campfires and Constellations is a genre-defying, little-bit-of- Americana, little- bit-of-rock-and-roll, country-with-a driving-beat BAND currently based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. All five musicians are UNC students from North Carolina and, Ernest Thompson, the banjo player (first row, left) is from Greensboro. Ernest developed his banjo style while taking lessons from Greensboro's ever talented Scott Manring. The other instruments represented in the band are guitar, bass, and percussion. The guys have such diverse interests and backgrounds and are talented not only musically but academically. 

The band was in Greensboro last night for a live performance on UNCG's radio station WUAG FM 103.1. If you want to hear their music, go here. If you like what you hear, head on over to the Facebook page for Campfires and Constellations and give them a "like." 

200th Anniversary Honoring of Bethel Veterans

Yesterday, Bethel Presbyterian Church*  held a special ceremony to honor all veterans and members of the Armed Forces affiliated with their church. The program started with a welcome and invocation by the church's pastor, Rev. Paul L. Rhodes. Several veterans and service organizations participated in the service. The event was organized partly to honor the 200 year history of the church and its members.

A rifle salute and cannon salute were conducted by people in uniforms of previous wars. The people in the above photo were dressed in period attire to represent the US Civil War. The woman on the left belongs to the Society of the Black Rose. This organization was established in 1998 to help with memorial services. Wearing a complete period mourning outfit, she is present to remind people of the loss of life during the Civil War.  The Black Rose was named in honor of Rose O'Neal Greenhow, who lost her life trying to help the Confederate Cause.  

The Bethel event also included a flag retirement ceremony and the presentation and raising of a new flag. This fine ceremony was educational to many and meaningful to all who attended.

*Read our earlier post on Bethel Presbyterian here.