Greensboro Daily Photo

Harvest 2015

The end of the summer harvest season will soon be here. The above tomatoes are from our patio garden in Greensboro. Our backyard flower beds are filled with produce and the tomatoes have been quite fruitful this year. Some years are better than others for growing produce. In Greensboro, we had several dry weeks and had to water. However, when a plot is about 6' x 4', that task isn't too difficult. There are still a few tomatoes ripening on the vine, but we can tell their days are numbered. Soon, it will be time to plant the fall garden plots. Please consider planting some collards, chart, kale, and radishes in your flower beds. You can even try using large flowerpots.

Another sign of summer ending is that the Sunday MUSEP concert series has ended. On the up side, Greensboro is gearing up for the National Folk Festival (September 11-13) and the 17 DAYS Arts and Culture Festival  (Sept. 11-27). Just like the seasons bring different weather and produce, they also bring their own special events and September is knocking at our door. Happy last day of August. If you are local, that means today is the last day to get a watermelon milkshake at Cookout!

Daystar en Español

North Carolina has the 11th largest Hispanic population in the United States. Hispanics represent 7.5 percent of Greensboro's population.* As our community's population diversifies, resources and services for the different ethnic groups need to grow to keep pace with the demographic shift. Evidence of this change can be found in our religious community. In their data base, the City of Greensboro identifies 85 different religious groups, data that have shifted considerably.  For example, from the 2000 to 2010 census, individuals affiliating with the American Baptist Churches of the USA decreased by 73% and the Church of Latter Day Saints, increased by 191%.

Another trend is for religious communities to offer services in languages other than English. Daystar is one such place. As advertised on the above banner, services in Spanish are offered every Sunday at 2:00 at the Westover Terrace campus.  This gives the Spanish speaking community of Greensboro a chance to participate in a non-denominational, Christian church

Daystar Church, founded in Greensboro in 1997,  has three campuses in Greensboro. They also have an online option for worship. Regardless of what you believe and how you worship, to be sure, there is something for everybody in Greensboro. Y aquí, se habla español; and Korean, and Russian, and Greek, and Hindi, and Urdu, and Hebrew, and more... Happy Sunday, dear readers.

*reference, here.

Roadwork on North Battleground

There has been a lot of roadwork on Battleground Avenue. Between its being widened, near Bur-Mil Park and on into Summerfield, and all of the businesses being built between Battleground's split at Benjamin Parkway on up to Pisgah Church Road, Battleground is transforming before our eyes. Thirty of the parcels ( totaling nearly 800,000 square feet, at a value of over 33 million dollars) belong to Marty Kotis (reference). If you have not driven the length of Battleground lately, you will not recognize it. The above construction, at Battleground and Horse Pen Creek, must surely be related to capacity building and infrastructure.

It is fun to pull off to the side of the road and watch, from the building of the Kotis properties to the making of the highway changes to the addition of the urban loop. This is not your grandpa's Battleground.  Battleground is the 21st century Wendover, which was the 20th century Bessemer/Summit Avenues. Can you predict the next growth area? What would you like to see for Greensboro?

Got Solar Power?

Honey Electric Solar, Inc. had a Solar Power Mobile Unit at Doodad Farm recently. People were free to use their service to charge cell phones or other devices. It was free and open to all. Several people took advantage of it. We also saw Doodad Farm campers using solar power at their campsites. When solar panels first came out, they were almost a novelty.  Now, harvesting the sun's energy is happening everywhere.

Honey Electric Solar is located on Alamance Church Road in Liberty. They offer solar electricity, solar water heating, and solar heating for swimming pools. They have been a Greensboro area business since 1994.  They work hard to keep up with the latest technology and have built a business around helping individuals harvest the sun's energy. We love the way the sun's rays radiate through the picture. Happy Friday. 

National Folk Festival

Have you made plans to attend the National Folk Festival, to be held in Greensboro on September 11-13, 2015? It will be fabulous. The other day, we went barreling downtown to the 300 block of Davie Street, thinking we'd found the national headquarters of the festival. As it turns out, the sign is an advertisement for the advertising and public relations business, King's English. Their website posts the statement, "20 years of words, pictures, and ideas & a bunch of clever people." Only, on their website, that statement is posted in multiple colors and a variety of fonts! Clever, clever, indeed!

As for the National Folk Festival. Let's all attend so there will be standing-room-only crowds and Greensboro will have more and more offers for these national events. If you like folk music and traditions, you will love the festival. Follow the link, here. You might even hear performers with dialects sounding similar to the King's English! In you go by the advertising agency, thank them for giving a shout out to a very important and FREE happening in Greensboro.

Greensboro is ready!

G is for Gisela

Gisela Hood is another fine example of the great people we have in the Greensboro area. Gisela, originally from Germany, has lived and raised a family in the Greensboro area for decades. A few years ago, she retired from the Guilford County Schools as a German teacher and world language consultant. Gisela was instrumental in developing and teaching German classes via closed circuit TV, allowing students across the district to continue with their German studies. While she is technically retired, she is busier than ever these days. Volunteerism, philanthropy, staying fit, traveling, and freelancing as a translator fill her days with meaningful activities. 

One of Gisela's passions is honoring veterans, especially those who live locally. She is Executive Director of the Board that oversees the Carolina Field of Honor at Triad Park. Between her husband, his family, and their two children (both West Point graduates), her family has contributed over 100 years of service to the U.S. military. In her spare time, Gisela loves traveling with her husband. This past year, they visited Bhutan and, ever the teacher, when Gisela heard school children singing, she went to the school to learn more about the education system and to find out ways she might help. Gisela feels so fortunate to be living the American dream that she spends as much time as possible being civically involved and giving back to the community.  She also makes time for running, Pilates and yoga, and hiking. Her daughter, who is still in the U.S. military, recently took Gisela on a 12 hour hike. The above photo of Gisela, with a warm smile and surrounded by the great outdoors, captures her spirit beautifully.

When asked what she likes about Greensboro, here was her reply. "Greensboro has been very good to our family, the schools provided excellent education for our children, the community is very caring and giving and has wonderful organizations such as Rotary International, JDRF, Goodwill and United Way, all institutions we are involved in to make Greensboro a better place. Greensboro provides unique job opportunities with international companies such as Honda Jet. Overall, it is the right size place with many opportunities to raise a family, and NO traffic - most of the time."

Today is ABC Wednesday, and for our 2015 A-Z People Series, "G" is for Gisela. 

Gisela in Bhutan-

Day Two of the 2015 Academic Year for Guilford County

The Guilford County Schools are now in session. For schools on a traditional calendar, yesterday was the first day. Teachers and students seem excited to be back and to see each other. The above photo was taken earlier this summer on the side of Ragsdale High School near the new buildings. The facility is very nice and this rock, with the tiger design, was a work of art. Ragsdale would look great with this mascot, the flying tiger,  permanently painted on a sign near the entrance. These school rocks are repainted on a regular basis.

Ragsdale High, located in Jamestown, is a 9-12th grade school serving over 1,400 students. It opened in 1959 and was named for Lucy Coffin Ragsdale. Mrs. Ragsdale organized the first PTA in Guilford County. Her grandfather was Dr. Shubal Coffin and her Quaker family helped with the Underground Railroad. Read more history of Ragsdale, here. Notable alumni include Siri Mullinix, goalie for the 2000 U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team, and Pat McCrory, the current Governor on North Carolina.

It is our hope that all 1,400 students, their teachers, Ragsdale's administration and staff all have a great school year. All the best for each and every one of Guilford County's students.

 

To Bee or Not to Bee

Saturday's weather was perfect for the National Honeybee Day. The Bee Friendly to Bees Day at the   Extension Demonstration Garden was very well received by the community. The Garden and Guilford County Center are part of the NCState University and A&T State University Cooperative Extension. Those universities do so much for the community and Saturday's event was one such example. It was an all-around collaborative effort. Also involved were the Guilford County Bee Keepers, the 4-H Clubs, and the Master Gardeners. The Master Gardners worked tirelessly, weeding and preparing the grounds for the event. Children took the child-friendly activities, especially the scavenger hunt, very seriously. As seen in the photo above, adults were also quite engaged. The tall, flat box housed a hive of bees and, at the moment of the photograph, onlookers were trying to find the queen bee. She was bee-ing rather elusive.

The weather was so nice, it was obvious that summer wants to hold on for a little while longer. Today is the first day of class for traditional schools in Guilford County. Here's to a great school year. If teachers are looking for interesting, community-based activities, the Cooperative Extension Center is a great resource.

Genesis Church

Genesis Baptist Church was established in 1997 at 2812 East Bessemer Avenue, in a building that had served as a church in the Bessemer Community for years. Their pastor, Dr. Headen, is a native of Goldston, NC and has been a minister for 44 years. Dr. Headen has done so much for the Greensboro community, including serving on the Executive Board of the Greensboro Branch of the NAACP. Additionally, he co-chaired the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Project. He is very devoted to the issued of human rights, in his church, in Greensboro, and beyond.

There were several cars leaving the parking lot on Saturday afternoon; we're sure it will be even busier today. Bessemer used to be the major east/west hub for Greensboro, before Wendover Avenue was built. It is still one of the major business streets for the East Greensboro community. In chatting briefly with a church member Saturday afternoon, it became evident that the congregation loves their church and takes great pride in the community. Let's hope that Genesis Baptist is around for a very long time. Happy Sunday!

Retro Run 2015

Last Saturday was the 2015 Retro Run, held in downtown Greensboro at the Railyard and on Lewis Street. It was a "feelin' groovy" sort of day. Everyone was encouraged to don retro attire. Registered runners received giveaway tie-dye, peace-sign necklaces. There was even a $100 award for best retro attire. The only detail overlooked was the absence of shag carpeting at the finish line! Participators said that it was a lot of fun and that people watching while racing helped the time pass.

Equally fun to watch were the many canines who dressed for the occasion. The greyhound in the photo above may have been best of show. He was friendly to all, yet attentive to his owners. He seemed to love dressing up. His coat blended in with the sidewalk, making his rainbow attire pop even more. In the photo below, you see some of the human participants near the finish line beside Gibb's Hundred. Yes, many people in Greensboro love their dogs as well as the city's quirky details!

Got, Burgers?

Indeed, Hops Burger Bar serves great burgers. Hops, located at 2419 Spring Garden Street, was voted the #1 burger in the nation on Trip-Advisor's top-10 list. *  At GDP, we steer away from restaurant reviews. However, how could we not try the "best burger in all the land" when it is right here in our own backyard?  We opted for this week's special, the pickled burger, which had pickled okra, chow-chow, Boar and Castle Sauce, and pimento cheese on top of an eight ounce Angus burger.

We don't know the criteria used by Trip-Advisor's judges, but, if we had to describe a Hopsburger's distinguishing features, we would say that 1) the sandwich is really moist and buttery- the burger and the bun; 2) the bread is not too thick, so you aren't left feeling stuffed from too much bread; 3) the meat is extremely tender; and 4) the condiment pairings are not only creative, but also extremely well suited for each other.  See the rest of the menu, here.

Since the announcement about the #1 rating was made, long lines have been forming at the door. Greensboro can be so proud to have the bragging rights to say that we have the best burger in the land. It was just announced that the 65-seat restaurant will open a second location in Irving Park, in the space formerly housing Balance Day Spa. The second location will add 75 more spaces to their seating capacity. This is a great success story for a restaurant that only opened in 2013!  Congratulations, Hops!

*see the other 9 winners, here.

Boxtown Central

At the Whodat Festival on Doodad Farm, featured on GDP this Tuesday, the organizers had a special village for children: Boxtown. The area seemed to be deep in the woods when actually, it was on the edge of the seating area near the performance stage. Children played for hours and hours with boxes and duct tape. They made a village, built forts, and constructed personal armor. The area was the best entertainment ever, nurturing creativity and imagination in children. Below, is a photo of the Boxtown banner as well as a square insert of a child with his box-head. You could tell he took great delight in his disguise. Perhaps he was imagining he was a character out of the Minecraft video game; maybe he was a Lego brought to life. Regardless, he was outside, using his imagination!

Perhaps because we've been rereading To Kill A Mocking Bird, the whole scene brought to mind the way Jeb, Dill, and Scout would have spent a warm, summer afternoon. The boy with the box-head reminded us of the scene in the movie where Scout is wearing the ham Halloween costume in the woods. Geez, a few minutes thinking about Boxtown, and we are using our imagination, too!

If you want to create great memories for your children, bring home a stack of cardboard boxes. Today boxes, tomorrow participating in the performing and visual arts in Greensboro... 

 

F is for Felicia

Felicia Brown is a massage therapist who loves helping others. For over two decades, she has worked in the massage and spa industry. Through diligent professionalism, she has not only increased her career's visibility, but elevated Greensboro's perception of the field. Above, she is photographed at A to Zen Massage Center, located at 523 State Street. Felicia has owned A to Zen for nine years. You may recognize her from Balance Day Spa, a business she opened and managed until she sold it in 2005. Felicia established A to Zen partly to continue massage therapy with her loyal following of clients, some of whom have been with her since the mid-1990's.

Felicia's first experience with the healing arts came in the 5th grade at the Greensboro Day School as her teacher was also credentialed in yoga and massage. The teacher offered an elective in relaxation therapy. In middle school, Felicia took the class, where they practiced yoga and learned about concepts like reflexology and massage. It is always wonderful when teachers open doors for students, especially in helping them establish careers! Over the years, Felicia has grown into quite an entrepreneur of the healing arts. She is also a business and marketing coach and educator. She is known for turning around troubled spas. She shares her expertise at conferences as far away as Poland. 

In her "spare" time, Felicia writes for her three blogs; promotes her books; trains as a triathlete; and spends time with her husband and beloved pets. One of her books, The Sunflower Princess, is a healing fairy tale that helps people of all ages manage grief and despair from the loss of loved ones. Those who spend time with Felicia realize her well of compassion, love, and empathy runs deep. 

To learn more about Felicia, start with her website, here.   Today is ABC Wednesday, for our A-Z Local People, "F" is for Felicia at, A-Zen! 

Whodat Festival 2015

The Whodat Festival on Doodad Farm, at Hooting Hollow Road in Southeast Greensboro, is a great community music festival. The festival has been in operation for about four years now, one Saturday each August. This year's festival was held this past weekend and fun was had by all, from children to senior citizens. The above photo shows the Beard and Mustache Club holding a facial-hair contest on the main stage. Bands were transitioning on and off stage.  Donations from attendees are paid to the participating bands. Several young adults in the community spend the whole year planning this event. Volunteers come from miles around to put up signage, clear land, and get the place in good order for the festival. Great fun was had by all.

On Saturday, people brought their own chairs, positioned them in the shaded viewing area and then wandered around to see the vendors, get food from the food trucks, and to print their own t-shirts. Several people stayed on site in tents or campers. Who dat may have come and gone this year; however, if you like good music, you can learn about upcoming events on Doodad Farm through their Facebook page. It seems like you are out in the middle of nowhere, but, you less then seven minutes from downtown Greensboro.

We got so tickled by some of the signage at the festival. Our personal favorite was spotted in the camping section. As you can see, the sign says LOUD CAMP, in all caps with a red Solo cup perched above- to hit the message home. If you parked there, you couldn't say you weren't forewarned! 

 

The Day the Pottery Circus Came to Town

Friday was a special day at Irving Park Art & Frame on West Cornwallis Drive. The Leanne Pizio Pottery Circus came to town! Leanne and husband Will brought in circus-themed pottery pieces and the crowd was jubilant to be part of the ringside viewing at the show’s opening. In the above photo, Leanne and Will are standing in front of the pottery ringmaster who is overseeing the exhibit. Leanne’s talent and creativity were so apparent in the gallery filled with clay clowns, trapeze artists, animals balancing on striped pottery balls, and other original works of art. In addition to pottery, Leanne had collage pieces, linoleum cut prints, and painted pottery that mirrored her clay sculptures.

Within the first hour of the show, many of her pieces sold. Collectors love the way she spends almost as much time carving the underside of a piece as she does the top. Her labor-intensive, sgraffito carving technique is especially attractive on the circus collection. If you missed the opening event, the show will be at Irving Park Art and Frame until September 4th. You might not get to see above main characters, or be offered orange circus peanuts or bags of popcorn, but you will be able to purchase some fantastic pottery. Ringside seats are still available.

This was a super busy weekend in Greensboro and many events were held. This week's photos will feature a few of these events. Stay tuned!

Christ Church

Today's church is a bit of a mystery. Christ Church is located on McConnell Road, just east of downtown Greensboro and on the west end of a cemetery and near Franklin Boulevard. It is one of many houses of worship on McConnell Road and one of over 300 churches in Greensboro. Since the church doesn't appear to have a social media presence, we're not even sure if a "Christ Church" is a "Church of Christ." All the sign out front says is "A Godly Life."

There is a lot of housing nearby, both single family and apartment complexes. Perhaps the Christ Church membership is local. This little church, with very straightforward architecture- a simple rectangle- is right down the street from a very large church with four activity vans and several outbuildings. It is kind of heartwarming to know that in this day of social media, there is a little church in east Greensboro that is unplugged and successful.

Happy Sunday!

Rural Buildings

These rural buildings in Guilford and surrounding counties evoke the simpler times of a bygone era. This summer, we stumbled upon this building on 220 north en route from Greensboro to Danville. This old structure with a tin roof appears to have mud mortar between the timbers. Could it have been an old tobacco barn?  In the website, linked here, the above building, located in the Old Bright Belt, fits the description of a compact, flue-cure tobacco barn built with hewn logs.

The tall grass, surrounding the building, adds to the country charm and evokes details from a Wyeth painting. We like to get out there and photograph these outbuildings while they are still part of North Carolina's landscape. Even though this old barn stands near a major highway, sitting near it, for a brief moment, time seemed to stand still and we were enveloped in silence. Happy Saturday! We hope you are out exploring Greensboro and its environs.

Got ALLEYS?

Alleys are narrow, rear-access passageways. Sometimes they are for pedestrians only; such is the case of the alley behind Elsewhere Living Museum on South Elm Street.*  Sometimes they are charming; sometimes nondescript, or even creepy. The above alley is quite convenient- a back way to Gorell Street- and accommodates vehicles (hence the bank of garages). The name of the above alley is Sues Blues Alley and it is located in Southside at McAdoo Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. What a great name, Sues Blues. We would love to know the backstory. It is utterly charming and there are properties to purchase and to rent on this alley.

Happy Friday. There is a lot going on in Greensboro this weekend. If you like pottery and creativity, Irving Park Art & Frame is featuring the opening of Leanne Pizio's show. On Saturday, the Whodat Fest at Dodad Farm near Greensboro will attract many of our city's music lovers. Sunday's MUSEP concert will be at Gateway Gardens. There is so much to do in our community. Please get out and support our businesses and artists. Please explore this great city! 

*See our feature of that fun, quirky alley, here.

Free Art Friday

Thanks to local freelance artist Renate Dubose, Greensboro participates in Free Art Friday. Just like Greensboro Daily Photo, Free Art Friday takes place in Greensboro, but is part of a worldwide group. On the first and third Friday of each month, Renate sets up near Center City Park and people create and hide artwork. Artists post clues to finding the artwork on Instagram and Facebook.

Sometimes people simply stumble on hidden art and are free to take it. To avoid confusion, the art always has a tag saying, "Free art. I'm yours. Take me home." The Greensboro group was founded on May 16th, 2015. This photo was taken on June 5th and we are just now getting around to featuring it. It sounds like a fun idea and a way to involve the whole community. Hopefully, Renate will be able to keep this idea going. If you see her, be sure to thank her and, if you have artistic talents, offer up a piece of art to be hidden!

E is for Elena

Elena Wong is an extremely creative, dynamic, and passionate young professional. Having graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this summer, Elena is enjoying time in Greensboro with family and friends before heading to California to begin her career at Huron Consulting Group. Elena graduated with an undergraduate degree in psychology combined with a focus on business.  Already fluent in Spanish and English, she studied three semesters of Mandarin.  She is well-rounded, involved, and loves working to make things better. While at UNC, Elena not only served as a resident advisor, she designed and implemented a training program for her fellow advisors. She is passionate about helping leaders lead, a skill she honed during her internship at Greensboro's Center for Creative Leadership. While at UNC, Elena was captain of the women's ultimate (frisbee) club team and also played on the men's team. She spent the final semester of her senior year on a study abroad exchange at the National University of Singapore. Fortunately, she was able to practice with their ultimate club team.

Elena firmly believes students should pursue a career and find extracurricular activities they are passionate about.  By the time she graduated, she had amassed over 500 hours of community service. She ascribes to the notion that if you love what you do, you'll never feel like you worked a day in your life. 

When asked what she likes about Greensboro, exuding enthusiasm, Elena shared many positive aspects of our city. She loves seeing so many people out taking advantage of Greensboro's parks and trails; the easy access to nature; the running and biking groups; the not-too-hectic pace of life; the fact that Greensboro is a clean city; the diversity of the people here; the access to healthy food- especially at the farmers' markets; all the great branches of the YMCA; and the fact that our community is centrally located- between the ocean and mountains and less than an hour away from her alma mater, UNC. When asked how she is spending time before starting work, Elena told us that she is training for a half-marathon. Not inclined to choose the easy or orthodox way of doing things, Elena is going to celebrate her first week of work in California by running in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco. We will be cheering her on and are confident Elena will finish with flying colors. Maybe we can find her an "I love Greensboro" t-shirt to wear for when she crosses the finish line!

Today is ABC Wednesday and "E" is for Elena. We wish her well in California and hope she comes back to visit often. Greensboro can be so proud of her!  (See A-D in our 2015 People series, here).

Ghassan's Food Truck

Ghassan's Restaurant has been a Greensboro institution since 1975. Just this month, the Fleihan family unveiled their new, first-ever food truck. In the above photo, it is parked beside their Battleground location. The truck is beautifully wrapped in stand-out red and white lettering and fitted to meet their kitchen needs. We have a feeling it may become part of an expanding fleet...

How Ghassan's ended up with a food truck is somewhat serendipitous. They were looking to expand with a fifth location (Gate City Boulevard, Battleground Ave., Cornwallis Drive, and the EUC at UNCG). When the space they were hoping to acquire didn't work out, they decided to forego a new brick and mortar location and opted for a food truck instead. It is proving to be a hit with the community. Today from 11-1pm, it will be parked at Cone Behavioral Health. August 13th lunch will be at Pace Communications. On Friday, they are heading to Winston-Salem for Food Truck Friday. You can follow them on Facebook and track their location, if you are interested.

The side of the truck reads, "Yalla" or "come on,"  in Arabic. Good luck to this new Greensboro business and to a family that has been serving Mediterranean food in Greensboro for forty years. We hope we are accurately expressing, "bon appetit" when we say,  "bil-hanā' wa ash-shifā' ".

Guilford County Junior Livestock Show

This past weekend the Guilford County Extension Livestock Show Committee and the Guilford County 4-H Livestock Club hosted the third annual Guilford County Junior Livestock Show at the Guilford County Agricultural Center located at 3309 Burlington Road in Greensboro. The show is an early stop on the 2015 4-H Farm Credit Showmanship Circuit which concludes at the State Fair in Raleigh in October.

Youth from across central North Carolina compete on the Sandhills Circuit, showing steers, heifers, goats and sheep at events in 12 counties. Participation is open to any active 4H-er anywhere. The young competitors are justifiably proud of their animals and the hard work they have put into raising and preparing them for showing. The highlight of every show is the showmanship competition where the 4H-ers are judged on their handling and knowledge of their animals. Livestock judges individually question each competitor while requiring them to maneuver their animals around the competition ring.

In the photo below, Jordan Carroll of Richmond County stands ready to respond to the judge's requests during the Senior level  showmanship competition. Jordan is a rising senior at Richmond County Senior High School and the Early College at Richmond Community College. He is also a star on the Sandhills Circuit, having won last year's Senior division. Jordan claimed the blue ribbon in Greensboro as well.

Congratulations to all the young people for their accomplishments in livestock agriculture. Next week the circuit moves to Stanley County in Albemarle. Good luck to all the competitors!

Higher Heights

Higher Heights Perfected Love Center is located at 455 Gorrell Street in East Greensboro. If you look at their Facebook page, they are a religious community that seems to gather and have a lot of fun together. They have events like Together Tuesday where people get together for fellowship and to worship. They emphasize love and community with their prayer. Christopher R. Robertson is the senior pastor. The church is located between Bennett College and Southside. They are on a little bit of a hill so, literally and metaphorically, they are on Higher Heights. Happy Sunday!

Hope to see you back at GDP for a visit tomorrow.

 

Guilford Builders Supply

If you've driven down Battleground Avenue lately, you may have noticed that Guilford Builders Supply has left the building. We just took this photo at the end of June. Now, Stock Building Supply has opened in the above location at 1621 Battleground Avenue, across from the building that formerly housed Anton's Restaurant. Guilford Builders Supply, in business for over 50 years, was bought out by Stock Building Supply.  Battleground Avenue is changing before our eyes!

Stock was formed in Raleigh in 1922 and, as of 2013 is now publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol, STCK, and has 65 locations in 13 states. Until recently, their Greensboro store was located off West Market Street, close to the airport. We'll have to get you a photo with the STOCK sign in place on the above building.

We were rather tickled that "Pig Pounder" Brewery's pink and black SUV photobombed us. They are also located in this area, so, we're guessing they were going back to the barn! Urban street photography is so much fun. You just never know what you are going to see!

 

Southside Fountain

After the downpour last night in Greensboro, this fountain doesn't seem as refreshing as it did when we visited it on a very hot day this summer. The fountain, along with the pair of trees at the entranceway, make the square very inviting to pedestrians and drivers alike. It is located next to Fouintainview Apartments and just east of Elm Street on East Lewis Street. We need to return and explore more, because, we've learned that Greensboro sculptor Jim Galucci has artwork there.

Today is First Friday. We hope you will have a chance to go downtown and gallery hop a little bit. You won't regret it. The more we visit the galleries, and thank them (and making purchases really helps), the more they will continue to provide for the community. This fountain view is literally two blocks from Elm Street. Exploring our city really is a lot of fun. There is so much to see and it just keeps getting better and better!

Garden Spiders

 Tis' the season of black and yellow garden spiders. Arigope aurantia is also known as the writing spider. When you see the zig zag formation of the web above, it is usually a female spider. Each night, the spider consumes the interior part of the web and rebuilds it each day.* The garden spider likes a clean, orderly web. We have one in our Greensboro garden, and it is fun to watch. Should we name her Charlotte? They mate once a year and after which the male dies. So far, she is there. 

According to the North Carolina spider database, we have 31 species of spiders. First, we are amazed in this Internet era how much information we can access with the click of a button. Second, we are amazed that there are so many varieties of spiders in North Carolina and we know so little about them. If you get a chance, head outside and see if you can find any spiders. As much as Greensboro residents love vegetables and flowers, there are plenty of the eight-legged critters out there!

* wiki reference, here.

D is for Delight

Delight M. Irwin, named after her mother's friend, comes by her name honestly. Indeed, spending time with her is delightful. Born in California and raised in rural Wisconsin, Delight came to Greensboro as an assistant professor at UNCG in 1978- thinking she would stay a mere 5-7 years. Thirty-seven years later, she is still here. Delight fell in love with Greensboro's sense of community service; noticing many organizations and people doing good things for one another, the community, and the world. She also likes having five institutions of higher education in the area and all of the activities, classes, and events they offer.

Always a person of great spirituality, Delight (also known as Dee) retired from academia and established Healing Ground, a spiritual retreat in Summerfield.  In 2000, after her own bout with cancer, Dee opened the property to others in need of a place for quiet time and healing. Some visitors come with their own programs and leaders; others rely on Dee to guide them on their spiritual journey. She is known as a deep listener, helping people find answers within themselves. Dee has started scaling back on organized commitments. Recently, she retired from her position as Dean of the Servant Leadership School at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. She has also retired from ten years of co-leading spiritual pilgrimages, to Iona, Chartres, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. Having followed in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, made Celtic spirit pilgrimages, and taken many other sacred journeys, Dee is spending more time with friends and loved ones, nurturing the beauty around her. As seen in the above photo, she is surrounded by beauty.

Today is ABC Wednesday and for our A-Z People of Greensboro series, "D" is for Delight! Below, a page from Dee's birthday book provides additional insight into the special person featured today. If interested, see Healing Ground's website, here. While today's post features Dee, it should be made clear that Healing Ground is co-owned and has always been a joint venture with the equally-delightful Pat Bailey! We hope to feature Pat on GDP soon.

 

 

North by Northwest

This water tower in northwest Greensboro is so striking. The red and white checkerboard pattern of the paint is to comply with FAA obstruction guidelines, due to its proximity to the airport. Located near the Piedmont Triad International Airport, it is not uncommon to see it surrounded by contrails, as the case in the photo above.  The specific location is at the corner of Pleasant Ridge Road and Highway 68, pretty close to the airport- as the crow flies. If you compare today's photo to this GDP photo five years ago, you will notice the trees are now gone. The bypass is currently under construction beside the tower.

It is always nice when traveling to have something unique to the given community. This water tower might not be quite as unique as the peach in Gaffney, GA; however, it certainly lets travelers know they are in Greensboro (and near an airport).

We're not really a current events blog, but we do happen to know of a couple of noteworthy events today. Tonight is National Night Out, an event with the goal of building neighborhood camaraderie. Whether your neighborhood is hosting an organized event or not, please consider turning your porch light on and connecting with your immediate neighbors. If you are out running errands, greet as many people as you can with a "Happy National Night Out." Also, from 6:30- 8:30, the Central Branch of the Greensboro Public Library is showing the film, Hey Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird with a discussion of "Go Set a Watchman" afterward. Happy Tuesday! Happy National Night Out! So much to do......

Call Me Gate City Boulevard!

It is official. Lee Street and High Point Road are now Gate City Boulevard. The above sign, located at South Elm Street, is one of 300 that had to be changed to reflect the new name. The Greensboro City Council, in a 5-4 vote, approved this change as part of the beautification efforts in this part of town as well as the effort to make this area the gateway to the city. To the average citizen or visitor, the name change might hardly be noticed; however, the hundreds of businesses along the way will need to change their signage, business cards, and, in the case of West Lee Street Tire and Automotive, possibly even the name of the business.

The road in question is a 19 mile corridor starting in the east at Young's Mill Road and ending in High Point at Highway 311. It appears that the name change will run the whole length of the corridor. Here is an interesting fact sheet on the topic. From Barber Park, Gateway Gardens, the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, in the east, to all of the new construction by UNCG at Glenwood Avenue, to the Coliseum, to all of the changes near Sedgefield, and so much more, truly, Lee Street and High Point Road have stepped into the 21st century. It may take some getting used to, but Gate City Boulevard has a nice ring to it- as well as a nice look!

New Zion Missionary Baptist: Rear View

Last Sunday, we featured the street view of construction on Old Asheboro's Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, which does not capture the scope of the multi-million dollar project. Above, you see the East Bragg Street side, the back of the building. From here, it is clear that the new facility has the potential to be the heart of the community with plenty of space for all who want to attend. It also paints a clearer picture of the fact that the 29,000 square ft. structure will be built on five acres of land. It is so much fun charting the progress. We can't wait to see it finished.

Reverend William Frank Wright, Jr. has been pastoring New Zion Missionary Baptist, in its present location, since 1980. His congregation is extremely active in everything from Bible study to community outreach and helping families in need. Their next event is this week on August 4th, National Night Out. This Tuesday, they will mobilize and celebrate from Nettie Coad Apartments at 503 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, from 6:00- 8:00pm. If you are out on National Night Out, stop by and say hello!

See last week's photo of the front of New Zion, here.

 

Great Day to Bike

Greensboro loves its bicycles and we're extending the greenways and making the community more bicycle friendly every year. The International City Daily Photo Group, of which Greensboro Daily Photo is a part, hosts a theme on the first day of every month. The August 2015 theme is bicycles. Last week, we accidentally published this photo, along with a second photo the same day. Not many people noticed this one. Our intent was to publish it on bicycle theme day. If you have seen it before, we apologize, but we hope you enjoy it.

In the above photo, a young person, who appeared to be about middle school age, was walking with his bicycle across Gorrell Street at Murrow Boulevard. While the photo was just taken last week, it looked like a scene from 60 plus years ago. There is nothing in the photo to indicate that it was taken in the 21st century. A child in a collared shirt with plain, black shorts, a simple bicycle, is walking past a bus stop and a fire hydrant, near a flat-roofed brick building. The street scene is hard to date. There were no earphones, cell phone, or ultra-fancy tennis shoes, which makes it even harder to believe that this is a current photo. 

Sometimes, it is nice to put down the technology, grab your bike, and go rom Point A to Point B. We hope you have a chance to get out on a bicycle and uncover some interesting scenes around the city. If you are one of GDP's visitors from the CDP portal, welcome!