Greensboro Daily Photo

Can you Read This?

It is Friday the 13th, there is a full moon tonight, and it is time to have some fun in Greensboro. The above Ford was spotted in town and we're wondering how long it takes for the average person to figure out what it means. If you live in the South, likely, you can read it fast.

As you are driving around this weekend look for vanity tags and let us know the most interesting ones you find. Scroll down to verify the meaning of this one. 

 

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I'm fixin' to!  Translation: I'm getting ready to (do something).

Woods of Terror

With autumn comes corn mazes and haunted houses to visit around Halloween. Woods of Terror is one such attraction. It bills itself as an American haunted theme park and boasts 15 attractions in one location on North Church Street. The above car, spotted in Summerfield in front of the recently reopened Golden's Antiques, is a mobile billboard for Woods of Terror. The vanity tag reads "Eddie Mc", so it must be Eddie driving around advertising for the attraction. The graphics sure are catchy and Eddie is a big part of the nightly monster parade at Woods of Terror.

If you like these places, you can buy tickets online. The first date is September 20th and tickets start at $25. Fall and harvest time have many unique traditions around the world: The Tomatina in Spain, Octoberfest in Germany, Sukkoth in the Jewish faith, Vendima in Argentina, and so many more. Right here in Greensboro, we have a great fall tradition that even has its own fan club! 

On the Road Again

If you are heading from Greensboro east to Burlington on East Wendover/Burlington Road/Highway 70, you may see these road signs for the bypass. They have been sitting next to someone's yard, in an area that is becoming increasingly less rural. The signs are not too far from Knox Road and Eastern High School. It will be convenient to zip around the city faster and to alleviate traffic closer to town; however, a new road comes at the cost of losing more green average. These signs appear so much larger when you are actually standing near them.

The road signs remind us that Willie Nelson was supposed to play in Greensboro tonight and he cancelled to to respiratory problems. Somewhere, recuperating, surely Willie is mentally singing "On the Road Again."  Willie, we just can't wait for you to get on the road again, and to hear you making music with your friends. And when you do, please reschedule for Greensboro. Just maybe, we'll have this road ready for you. Happy Saturday, everyone!

 

Greensboro Dance Theater

Greensboro Dance Theatre has left the building on Battleground Avenue, next to the Rainbow Car Wash, near Cone Boulevard. They are still enrolling for fall and classes will begin in September in their new building on Westover Terrace. It is located behind IHOP and Outback Steakhouse. The new building allows the dance studio to expand, update, and not be right on a main highway. We will miss watching the little ones attempting pirouettes while waiting at the red light.

We always wanted to do a photo shoot with this wall and sign in the background. Now it is too late, as you can see the building is being torn down. D&R Watts is in charge of tearing demolition. It will be interesting to see what goes up in its place. In the meantime, let's wish Greensboro Dance Theatre all the best in their new location as the young ballerinas glissade into the new school and dance year.

 

Fly GSO!

GSO is the three letter code for the Piedmont Triad International Airport. No other airport in the world uses this same airport identifier. So, when you are stuck in traffic or in a parking lot and see a car with a vanity plate reading, "IFLYGSO", you know that they fly in and out of the Piedmont Triad International Airport. What is not known is whether or not the person is a flight attendant, pilot, corporate person? Wonder what inspired them to spend the extra money to share this message. At any rate, this is what is considered to be a good vanity license plate; as it is easy to figure out. Wonder if there is an "IFLYGSO2"!

If you are in the car traveling this weekend, consider encouraging other people in the car to find interesting license plate messages, or ones from as many U.S. states as possible. This was such a popular activity, before cell phones took over our lives. Happy Thursday.

Kontoor, the New Name Around Wrangler

This is the Wrangler building on North Elm Street as it looks today. The word "Wrangler" remains and "Lee" has been added below, since Kontoor owns both brands. We don't know if Contour will add a sign more permanent than the vinyl banner, but for now, this is the view from the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. Kontoor already has a box for special performances at the Greensboro Coliseum. We're wondering if they will have one at the Tanger Center. We already have an idea where employees will park while they go to performances across the street!

Have a happy weekend and try to carve out some time to explore Greensboro, especially downtown. It is changing before your eyes. Tonight's  free, outdoor movie at LeBauer Park is "Ralph Breaks the Internet."

Happy Graduation!

Between all of the colleges and universities in the Triad, there are about ten institutions of higher education holding graduation ceremonies this week. In the above photo an unidentified happy graduate is standing as several people are cheering him on. The sign they are standing in front of is located at the corner of Walker Avenue and Josephine Boyd Street. UNCG has great signage to define the parameters of the university's land. The signs and the plantings help frame a photo nicely.

Look between the end of the sign on the right and the dark tree near the middle of the photo, and you will see yet another group standing around their graduate. If you see or know of a recent graduate, be sure to congratulate them, maybe even treat them to a cup of coffee, a meal, or some kind of lesson about pacing oneself along the path of life! Congratulations everyone!

The City Billboard Project

The City Billboard Project is a joint venture between UNCG's Greensboro Project Space and The Forge. Located on the back side of a building between Lewis Street and West Gate City Boulevard (at Eugene Street), there is a sign that says "Three Deep Breaths." Imagine driving along after a difficult day at work or school, being stuck in traffic, looking over, and seeing this sign. The message hasa way of bringing calm, or at the very least taking one's mind off of the stresses of the day. 

36,000 daily commuters drive past this marquee daily. The message is changed when some new person's saying is accepted. Some previous sayings have been "Slow Is Fast," "Forgive Someone Who Hurt You," and "Kick the Clouds." The plan is to replace the marquee with a LED sign that can share multiple sayings during the same cycle.* Something about the old-school lettering is charming, and perhaps a little safer than signage that changes, possibly distracting drivers.

Have a good Saturday and go see this sign; maybe even submit a saying to be considered for the next round!

Reference and more information, and the opportunity to get your saying shared, here!

 

No Plaque in North Carolina!

Vanity tags on cars and trucks are so much fun when you can figure out what they mean. The above plate was instantly identifiable. Surely, the owner of this late-model vehicle is a dental hygienist. A quick google search yesterday revealed 22 hygienist positions open in the Greensboro area. If you see "no plaque" getting into her car, ask her about her career. Surely, she loves it and is dedicated to it. Likely, she has white teeth and no cavities and, well, no plaque!

Happy Tuesday. If you haven't been to get your teeth cleaned lately,  make that appointment. If you are from another state, have you ever seen a NOPLAQUE plate?

Country Side Market Stokesdale

In this era of giant chains like Sheetz or BP for gasoline and convenience store needs, finding a local pit stop, like Country Side Market is getting harder and harder. Country Side is located in Stokesdale, where Highway 68 and 158 meet.

While you won't find a Sheetz wrap or mac and cheese here, if you are local, you can bet you will find people who knew your grandfather and what kind of truck he drove. You will find people who knew where you went to school and who your teacher was. These little places are the Cheers bar of pit stops for gasoline and snacks. If you want to get a feel for local living in the Greensboro/Guilford County area, make a visit to one of these locally owned stores. Happy Monday!

The Wishing Tree

The 300 block of East Bessemer Avenue has a wishing tree. Just outside this brick duplex is a trunk of a tree with a sign, inviting you to make a wish and leave something behind. The tree could benefit from a little sparkle and bling. Perhaps if you get some Mardi Gras beads or find an old chandelier prism, you could make the tree look a little more sparkly. Even more important is for you to make a wish and keep your hopes alive.

Have you ever seen a wishing tree? Would you consider creating one? How would you react if your neighbor established one? This household also has one of the bottle trees that is a fundraiser for Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. It seems like this would be an interesting household to get to know. Have a happy Tuesday, and... make a wish!

Create an Impact

"Everything you say and do creates an impact." Such is the slogan on the billboard, visible as you exit the Antique Marketplace on Burnt Poplar Road, at I-40 in Greensboro. It is hard to read the words in the lower right-hand corner to tell what the sign is advertising. They are hard to read even when on foot, not to mention how hard they would be when driving! Regardless, the saying itself is pretty impactful.

Think about it, "Everything you say and do creates an impact." As parents, children, teachers, students, employers, employees, politicians, constituents, everyone; all of us, we are all impactful. This is a great concept to ponder as we leave antique malls, drive along the highway, sit in a room with others, engage in conversation, and share messages on social media. While it isn't clear who sponsored this billboard in Greensboro, it is a great way to start out the new year, being mindful of the impact we are having on others.

#DGSO

Downtown Greensboro is an organized group that works to inform people about events happening downtown. Plus, the group works to bring people together and to build community. In an effort to encourage people to use the hashtag, #DGSO, a 3' tall, all-uppercase sign has been installed at Hamburger Square.

Located right across the street from Natty Greene's, the giant sign is highly visible from their pub. The letters continually change color- making it even more eye-catching. It looks like one of those signs found at ports of call at Caribbean cruises, conducive to great photo ops. As you can see, the above photo was taken at night and most everyone downtown was in a restaurant eating dinner. 

ARANCIA! or Bust...

Greensboro doesn't seem to be teeming with vanity tags on cars. However, if someone is willing to pay extra for a special message to be written on their vehicle tags, that something must be really important to the owner. 

Today, we're featuring ARANCIA! on an orange Subaru. "Arancia" is Italian for "orange." There has to be a story behind a person who drives an orange car with a North Carolina vanity tag that says "orange" in a language not widely spoken in Greensboro. And then, there is the exclamation mark. Historically, exclamation marks meant "note of admiration." About all we can say is that we admire this person's love of orange! Happy Friday, the start of the last weekend before Christmas. Honk if you love orange!

Near Merritt Drive

Today's photo was taken on Spring Garden Street, near Merritt Drive. This part of town has changed considerable, since the cotton mill was torn down, apartments for college students were built up, and Deep Roots Coop moved from this area into downtown. The above building has an auto repair shop. In front of the Calen Servicio Mecanico, a food truck is parked. Food trucks are now quite popular in Greensboro and finding a spot to park them isn't always easy.

The spot is bright and cheerful, especially since this photo was taken on a bright, sunny day, earlier in the year. As you are out and about this weekend, try driving some of the roads in Greensboro that are off your beaten path. You just may find a new shop or service that you want to try out. Happy Friday to our readers in Greensboro and beyond.

Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus Council in Greensboro was formed in 1904, making it 114 years old. Greensboro's Knights Council is Council 939 and the building, constructed in 1983,  is located on Horse Pen Creek Road. The building is a great place for gatherings and a source of much fellowship for many of Greensboro's catholics. While most of Greensboro's Catholic churches are located closer to town, the council hall is conveniently located very near St. Paul's Church.

It is hard to believe that the organization was founded in Connecticut in 1882 to help Irish-Catholic men who were experiencing prejudice and hard times in general. At one time, Irish Catholic immigrants were discriminated against. The Catholic population in Greensboro really started to grow in the 1950's. Vic Nussbaum was the city's first Catholic mayor. Greensboro's KOC council is the largest in North Carolina and second oldest, being one year younger than the Charlotte council. Today, in Washington, D.C. they will be holding a Veteran's Day event. We're not sure if they are having any local services.  

Still on Battleground Avenue

Greensboro is a city with a total area of 131.8 square miles. One of the main north/south arteries through many of these these Greensboro miles is Battleground Avenue. It starts downtown and winds its way north all the way to Horse Pen Creek Road and Old Battleground Avenue. At that point, Battleground is referred to as Highway 220. It is a busy retail shopping area. It would be curious to know how many cities in the United States actually have a street named Battleground; ours is named for the Revolutionary War battleground along this very road.

The above photo features a section of Battleground Avenue at the corner of Cone Boulevard and Benjamin Parkway, specifically, the 2,600 block. It provides evidence of sunny skies this week and that Hurricane Florence has subsided in our 131 square miles of community. The abundance of yellow in the photo is a nod to today's being the last official day of summer; starting tomorrow, the community will be on high pumpkin and pumpkin spice alert. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Construction Continues on Battleground Avenue

There is a lot going on in this photo, taken at the corner of Battleground Avenue and Cone Boulevard. The gray building is one of the McDonald's selected to get a facelift this year. Since public school has started back this week, it is necessary to allow even more time at these busy intersections. And, please remember to honor those speed limits in school zones. Children are Greensboro's most precious resource.

Speaking of children, it will be interesting to see if McDonald's is rebuilding the Playplace. It will be interesting to see if this McDonald's will receive some of the restaurant design innovations. Some in Cary are LEED GOLD certified, in an effort to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact.* Happy Tuesday and, if you are getting ready to go to work, have a good commute.

*read here, if you want to learn about McDonald's Smart Design restaurants.

Church Signage

Remember when church signs were something that you had to brave the elements to change by hand. Rain, snow, sleet, or blazing sun, if a preacher wanted his spiritual food for thought, he had stand by the road and attach the letters by hand. Now, even some of Greensboro's oldest churches, like Mount Pisgah Methodist Church, at the northeast corner of Pisgah Church and Battleground, have digital signs that are programed remotely. Nor more black and white same-size, same-font lettering. The signs are now multi-color and can accommodate multiple messages: something spiritual, plus announcements and lists of events.

Before we know it, Mt. Pisgah's lovely green lawn will be full of pumpkins and gourds of all sizes, colors, and shapes. Likely, the dates of their great pumpkin patch will be announced on the digital sign soon, if it isn't already. 

Literally, what a SIGN of the times!

¿¡Dónde!?

May the 4th be with you today as you drive around Greensboro pondering the fact that tomorrow is Cinco de mayo. Somebody in Greensboro, North Carolina is a step ahead of us. He is driving around town in a Ford Fiesta with the license plate asking, "where." Where? Well, tonight is First Friday, so downtown will be full of things to see and do. For starters, the Beauty of the Beast exhibit will open tonight at Green Hill and many of the featured artists will be on hand. Galleries, stores, and restaurants will be open late tonight to provide opportunities to eat and be entertained.

Tomorrow, every Mexican restaurant in town will welcome guests with open arms, chips, salsa, and an opportunity to celebrate Mexican heritage. Also, it is free comic day so comic book stores will have people coming out in droves, dressed as action figures, waiting in like for a free comic book. Surely, a Black Panther or two will be on hand to make us wish we were in Wakanda. So, as you can see, if someone in Greensboro asks you "donde", you can tell them, "Pues, hay muchas opciones." Well, there are many options- at least in Greensboro on the first weekend in May. Happy Friday!

In This House, We Believe...

Sometimes, it is best to let the sign speak for itself. And this one speaks volumes about the people who live at this address...

Many houses around Greensboro have signs with messages like the one above. If memory serves, this sign was spotted in a yard in Westerwood. Then again, signs with this type of inclusive message are often spotted in Fisher Park and in Lindley Park. How would it make you feel to have a sign like this one pop up in your neighbor's yard? As we do our Sunday musing, meditating, praying, or whatever we do to ponder the big spiritual, moral, and humanitarian questions, let us all think about what our own sign would say. To be sure, they are a window into the heart and soul. Happy Sunday! Happy reflecting to our friends in Greensboro and beyond!

Greensboro City Vehicle Tags

At one time, cities and towns in North Carolina issued metal vehicle license tags to generate revenue. They were placed on the front of the vehicle and were about half the size of the state plates. There doesn't appear to be a lot of information available on the city plates; however, we know they were popular in the 1970's and we saw one from Ellerbe, NC from 1987. Some just had the city's name, and others, had a slogan. For example, in 1976, HIGH POINT dubbed itself "World Hosiery Capital" and BURLINGTON was known as "Bigger-Better." ERWIN, NC billed itself as World Denim Capital.* Erwin, NC, is located in Harnett County, and not too far from Raleigh-Durham-Carey. The Duke Family built a cotton mill there in 1904 that only closed in 2000. Still, we've always seen Greensboro as the Denim Capital of North Carolina, maybe even the world. With the Cone Denim White Oak Plant closed after 110 years, on December 31 (1905-2017), Greensboro will lose the tradition of making jeans. As a matter of fact, there don't appear to be any plants making jeans in North Carolina.

Cities learned they could still collect vehicle taxes without the cost of making the metal plates, and clothing companies realized they could decrease costs by producing jeans in other countries. So, if you find an old city license tag in the garage, or a pair of vintage, made-in-North-Carolina  jeans in the back of the closet, hold on to them. You have a piece of local history. 

*See an interesting collection of North Carolina city tags, here.

Dónde!? Where

Somewhere in Greensboro, earlier in the fall, a Ford Fiesta was seen driving around town with the above vanity tag, "DONDE!? or Spanish for "WHERE."  Of course, the tag begs the question, "Where, what?" When vanity tags are ordered, not only does the Division of Motor Vehicles need to make sure the requested tag doesn't mean something inappropriate in English, they need to be relatively sure there isn't an inappropriate meaning in another language.

And, language changes so quickly. As an example, if you search a crowdsourced site like Urban Dictionary, for the word "thirsty" you will learn the connotations of the word. (seeking attention on social media by posting selfies to boost self esteem. "Thirsties" are groups of people trying to get the attention, admiration, or love of the opposite sex; or, someone fishing for compliments). Even those definitions are several years old. Those meanings could have already dropped out of usage or evolved into something else. At any rate, "thirsty" means so much more than wanting a drink of water. Before you even get started thinking of the special word you want on your vanity tag, you can peruse the 201 specialized plates in North Carolina. For example, in North Carolina you can get an Auburn University, 82nd Airborne, Lion's Club, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,  Donate Life Organ Donor tag icon on the tag even before deciding on a word.*

If you are stuck in traffic, especially with children in the car, remember the license tag game. Unlike previous generations, this generation can snap photos of their best finds, and then set out to trace the meaning to its origin. Does anybody know the back-story on the North Carolina "DONDE!?" tag?

*see your options, here.

Salvation Army Prayer Line of Greensboro

As seen in the above photo, Greensboro's Salvation Army has a prayer line. This sign is located at the Salvation Army Family Store on East Gate City Boulevard- across from the Kotis property that was formerly Brooks Lumber. If you look on the telephone pole, you can see that I-40 and I-85, the two interstates that go through Greensboro, are not too far from the sign in the above photo.

The photo was taken yesterday when the air was crisp and cool, the sun was shining, and the sky was cloudless and blue. It was lovely. The sign reminds us all that if you feel alone, you can call and someone will reach out to you. This service is especially important at this time of the year when people can feel (and be) so alone. If you asked someone to pray for you, what would you want them to say? Even if you don't speak these words out loud, just thinking them can help clear one's mine. Thank you Salvation Army for all you do for the community. Support services are greatly needed.

PRAY4ME 51555.

Former Methodist Cemetery

The sign for the former Methodist cemetery is located on South Elm Street just down from Scuppernong Bookstore and across the street from Cheesecakes by Alex. The sign is pretty self explanatory. You have to love these old-school historic markers. In the digital age where we have QR codes and information at our fingertips, all we still erect metal, raised-letter signs? They have so much character. Today's sign has even more character. As you can see from the close-up below, somebody put a googley-eyed umlaut on the "o" in the word "original". Perhaps, the were trying to be original. 

Have a great Sunday! We hope you get out for a walk. Perhaps you can attend the Second Annual Triad Veg Fest at the Greensboro Farmers Market (see, here). You can also attend Moonbird Pottery's Art in the Yard event in Lindley Park from 11-5pm today at 2629 Beechwood Street. Perhaps you can walk along Elm Street to see if the googley eyes are still in place!

 

Color Outside the Lines

New York City is famous for its retail window displays, especially around holidays. The window sets the stage for letting the potential customer know what to expect inside. In addition to the well-known chains, like Apple and Anthropologie, Greensboro has some local businesses that set the bar high when it comes to window decorations. Thousands O' Prints and Oscar Oglethorpe on South Elm Street have some creative displays, with Thousands O' Prints changing their windows daily- and always with a theme. Design Archives actually rents out the window area as booth space. The owner of Just Be used to work at Anthropologie, so she follows design trends closely.  

The above photo is of Shelf Life, the art supply store located at 2178 Lawndale Drive. If you look at the reflection, you can see Outback Steak House and IHOP across the street on Battleground (at Cornwallis). Shelf life sells new and used art supplies and also frames art. Currently, their window reads "Color Outside the Lines."  That quote encourages us not to think and act in a way that confirms to set rules. However, it doesn't have to be perceived as anti status-quo, but as encouragement to think creatively and to innovate. Conforming and not conforming both have good and bad points. On the continuum of coloring within the lines and outside the lines, where are you most comfortable? 

Love, Westerwood Style

Christianity and the Bible have a lot to say about love. One of the first Biblical scriptures of love that comes to mind is 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." Especially in this day and age, such love can be hard to sustain.

It is easy to understand agape love, the love of man for God and God for man. However, it seems that the harder love is "philia" or brotherly love as it is an unconditional love, friendship and affection. The sign in the yard above (enlarged below) is in a front yard in the Westerwood neighborhood of Greensboro. "No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbor."

Now that is surely and example of not only brotherly love, but also agape. Imagine walking up to a buttery yellow house in an urban neighborhood with a friendly, buttery yellow feline, and seeing a sign that made you feel welcome. That feeling is the essence of a good neighbor and a great neighborhood; someone who understands love. Westerwood has several such signs; as do many of Greensboro's neighborhoods. Did you know that the opposite of "philia" is "phobia"? It has been said that love conquers phobias. Imagine if we could all find a way to fill ourselves with love.

Remember, dear readers, we love you.

Peluquería María

Peluquería y Salon de Belleza María has been located at 3004 Spring Garden Street for several years now, maybe even more than a decade. It is across the street from Kiosco Mexican Grill, on the corner at Holden Road. María's is open seven days a week and is especially busy on the weekend. 

According to a 2012 publication, City of Greensboro Growth and Development Trends, people of Hispanic origin represent 7.5 of Greensboro's population. This accounts for about 25% of Greensboro's growth during the early years of the 2000s.* Businesses like María's, that cater to Greensboro's growing ethnic populations, have been increasing over the last two decades, too. You can be sure, however, that regardless of your ethnicity, if you visit Kiosco to eat or María's for beauty shop services, you will be welcome with open arms. If you get a chance, visit a locally-owned business that is new to you this weekend.

* reference.

V is for VF Corporation

VF Corporation is an global apparel and footwear company headquartered in Greensboro. The original company was founded in 1899. VF has over thirty brands. Lee, Wrangler, The North Face, Timberland,  and Vans are some of the brands owned by VF. According to their website, they have a global workforce of more than 60,000 employees. Recently, VF published statement that they disagree with the response of the White House regarding climate change and VF expressed a commitment to limiting emissions and helping mitigate the impacts of climate change.*

Greensboro, with its robust textile industry in the 20th century, was known as the denim capital of the world. Many Greensboro residents associate VF with jeans. We are, after all,  a "jeans" town- even in our public artwork. Some communities have fiberglass pigs, bulls, horses, etc. Greensboro has fiberglass jeans, artfully painted, downtown.

If you are interested, here is a very thorough timeline of the history of VF, where you will learn facts like the fact that VF actually stands for Vanity Fair. Originally located in Pennsylvania, VF relocated to Greensboro in the late 1990's. Above is a photo of their corporate headquarters off of North Elm Street. Below is the sign at the entrance. Today is ABC Wednesday and "V" is for "VF." See our A-U Round 20 lineup, here.

* See the VF website for reference and more information (here). 

U is for Used (Books)

Greensboro has three bookstores that offer used books: Scuppernong on Elm Street; Pages Past on Spring Garden Street; and, Edward McKay on Battleground Avenue (featured above). Like many other brick and mortar businesses, used bookstores have had to either find a niche market or diversify. Scuppernong hosts a lot of community events; Pages Past focuses on rare books; and Edward McKay has DVD's, albums, and buys used textbooks. As people have access to just about anything they want to read via computers and phones and can have Amazon ship items with the click of a button, bookstores need to be destinations and gathering places. Finding a balance between being conducive to hanging out, yet enticing customers to make purchases can be tricky.

Hopefully, these bookstores will remain in Greensboro for a very long time and will depend on the reading habits of this younger generation of digital natives. For those who are committed to reducing waste in the environment, "used" is the new "new", new to the new owner, that is. And, with that trend, books just may be with us for a while longer. If you like to read books on paper, consider stopping by one of our great used bookstores. Today is ABC Wednesday and for Round 20, "U" is for "used."

Q is for Quaker Village

Quaker Village, a shopping center with a combination of locally owned and chain stores, is conveniently located across from Guilford College on West Friendly Avenue. Quaker Village opened in 1964 and thrived for many years until suffering bankruptcy in 2010. Quaker Village got a facelift in 2014 when a neighborhood Wal-Mart was added and many other changes were made. Based on long lines yesterday, it appears that business in the village is booming. We were there at dinnertime and several of the restaurants had lines out the door. 

Today is ABC Wednesday and for Round 20, Q is for Quaker Village. Since we've featured Quaker Village before, initially, we had planned to feature "Quilting by Linda" at 7349 West Friendly Avenue. The address led us to a business park near the airport, When we arrived in the complex, "Quilting by Linda" was no longer there. One of our previous posts for the "Q" round of ABC Wednesday was Dennis Quaintance; lucky for Greensboro, he is still here! We haven't featured Mr. Quaintance for six years. If we start planning now, maybe we can interview him for the next round. We also hope to meet the barbers at QV barber and style. It is nice to keep the ideas flowing. And, if you ever have ideas, please share! After all, you're the reason we are here.

The Rainbow Stops Here!

Parts of Greensboro experienced strong rains Thursday night and they continued into Friday. Today's photo was taken from Mill Street yesterday afternoon at around 4:00 pm When we entered the Starbucks at that corner, it was raining. Upon leaving a few minutes later, the eastward sky was filled with sun and a rainbow. It was still dark and wet to the west. We were struck by the billboard message about diabetes and the fact that the rainbow seemed to cut through the sign. Should we interpret that image as a sigh that beauty will trump the horrors of diabetes?

Today is April 1st, meaning it is time for Theme Day with the City Daily Photo community. This month's theme is wet. You know where there are rainbows, there is water. Yes, it was very wet to the west. Whether you are in Greensboro or elsewhere, may your weekend be filled with rainbows and joy.

See the CDP "wet" photos around the world, here.

Oak Ridge United Methodist Church

Our Oak Ridge series comes to a close today with the above photo of the marquee of Oak Ridge United Methodist Church, located just east of Oak Ridge Military Academy, near the J.L. Sawyer house.  Today's marquee is fairly typical of Christian churches with a cross and information about services for the week. Also typical are the crosses that have cloth, with the color representing the current cycle of the liturgical calendar. At the moment, Christians are in the Easter Cycle (Lent-Easter-Pentecost); the purple cloth is displayed during Lent. Purple represents royalty and penitence. For Easter, April 16th, the cloth will be white, symbolizing joy and festivity. This year, Easter for the Orthodox Christians as well as the other Christian denominations all fall on the same Sunday.

On the day we were photographing, winds were strong. On close inspection, we noticed it was plastic fishing line, not divine intervention, holding the cloth in place. Are you observing Lent? If so, we hope you are finding some creative fish dishes to serve on Fridays.

Gate City Redux

This billboard is located behind Thousands O'Prints, Chakras, and Schiffman's at the corner of Davie and East Washington Streets. The "Go. Reconnect." is a reference to travel by train. It is the closest billboard to the train depot a half a block away. Greensboro has a tremendous rail history. The nickname "Gate City" dates to the late 1800s when as many as 60 trains a day moved through Greensboro. Today, people are still able to travel to and from Greensboro by train, hence the above sign.

If you are interested in train travel, head down to J. Douglas Gaylon Depot at 236 East Washington Street and learn about your options. Sure, you could look online (www.ncbytrain.org); however, the building is beautiful, the interior is historic, and seeing people coming and going is an experience that can't be replicated virtually.

Home Style Cooking

Everyone loves a little "Throwback Thursday" once in a while. The above photo features a building in nearby Stokesdale that formerly housed a "Country Cooking" restaurant. It offered homestyle cooking; good, fresh, mom-and-pop style food. Currently, the building is for sale and, this past Sunday afternoon,  had no signs of life. Next door is a used car lot and across the street is a school. On a school or work day, you would think the restaurant would have the potential to be super busy.

Imagine people considering buying a used car and talking about finances over a slice of homemade pie and a cup of coffee. Or, moms meeting for breakfast after they dropped their child off at school. You would think home cooked food would never go out of style. Then again, the restaurant industry is a lot of hard word and it is not always easy to make a profit. While the nostalgia factor is high for the old-time restaurants, time can trump nostalgia, with customers wanting instant food and drive-through convenience.

At the end of the day, remember to vote with your wallet, and, vote often!

I is for International Women's Day

Today is the 106th year of International Women's Day. To quote the campaign's website, "March 8th is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity." Local initiatives in North Carolina include encouraging women to campaign for advancement and to stay home from work today to heighten awareness of how much women contribute to the workforce. At least one school district in North Carolina is closed today because of concern about not finding sufficient substitute teachers. The irony is that today is also the annual statewide tornado drill day. With or without their female teachers, at 9:30 a.m., all students in the State will move to safe shelter and assume the crouched, facing-the-wall position. 

On another note, today's photo is a poster at the city parking deck on Bellemeade and Elm Streets. It features Prlyanka Ruparella, a Ph.D. student at Greensboro's Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. According to the school's website, out of fourteen full-time faculty, one nano science faculty is a female and one nano engineering faculty is a female. Let's hope that more women, like the one featured on the poster, decide to pursue these specialized science fields. To be sure, it is hard work. To be sure, women deserve equal pay for equal work. 

Today is ABC Wednesday, and for Round 20, "I" is for "International Women's Day", which has been celebrated in the USA only since 1975. In Cuba, Madagascar, and Uzbekistan, it is an official holiday. Here's to crouching and facing the wall at 9:30 and standing up and cheering at noon!

G Is For Greensboro

A proper entrance has a way of defining a space. In homes, it is known as curb appeal, that all-important first impression. In retail, the entrance is the first chance the business has to win over the customer; in restaurants, especially, it can determine if the diners will stay or leave. Cities can make first impressions, too. The above brick sign, located on Battleground Avenue at Westridge and Old Battleground, announces a driver's arrival into Greensboro.

This part of Greensboro, near Guilford Military Park, experienced tremendous construction in the late 1970s and early 1980s and was annexed in 1984.* We're betting the sign was constructed during that time. At any rate, it announces Greensboro in a part of town that has long been south of the city's actual northern limits. If you picked a new sign for a city today, what it would it look like? Perhaps it would be a vinyl banner in INTRO RUST or Sofia Pro font. 

Today is ABC Wednesday and in Greensboro, options abound for the letter "G".  For Round 20, "G" is for Greensboro!

* reference and interesting document, here.

SHEETZ on the Horizon

SHEETZ is a family-owned business out of Altoona, PA. In 1952, Bob Sheetz founded the company and it was not until 1963 that a second store opened; then a 3rd one five years later. Today, there are 500 Sheetz stores dotting the horizon. They are becoming so dominant on the east coast that they are gobbling up many of the locally owned gas stations and even some of the bigger companies. To date, Greensboro has eight of the 500 stores.

The above Sheetz, located on New Garden Road at Jefferson Road, is just a couple of miles west of Guilford Military Park, the site of the 1781 Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The scene reminds us of the terrain the Revolutionary War troops would have seen, less the SHEETZ sign on the horizon. And from this vantage point, one wouldn't even suspect there is an oasis of just about every color and flavor of beverage you can think of, and as many sandwich options as there are SHEETZ stores. We can't even imagine what those troops would think upon being told they had to click through multiple screens to order a meal.

Wonder what those birds on the wire are thinking. Perhaps they have their eye on some spilled popcorn!

Parkway Baptist

Since yesterday was the Moral March on Raleigh, we thought we'd share the above Frederick Douglass quote on the marquee at Parkway Baptist Church. Douglass was an African American social reformer, writer, orator, and statesman in the 19th century. He championed the cause of abolition and helped put an end to slavery in the USA. He believed in the equality of all people and was a staunch supporter of public education. Were alive today, we bet he would have been over in Raleigh marching yesterday, the eleventh year of the march for social justice, also known as HKonJ (the Historic Thousands on Jones St.).

Quoting Frederick Douglass is especially appropriate for Black History Month, and the above quote is appropriate every day. Parkway Baptist is located on Benjamin Parkway beside General Greene Elementary School. General Green is a science and technology school, known for building strong, well-rounded children. One of Greensboro Daily Photo's regular readers asked us to feature her church, Parkway Baptist. While on site photographing yesterday, the quote got our attention. We'll feature the church itself next week and, hope some of the members will see the post.

 

Armed Forces Career Center

Greensboro has a new recruitment office in to the 2900 block of Battleground Avenue. Based on the name, it appears to be a joint venture for all the branches: The Armed Forces Career Center. It is located relatively close to Grimsley and Page High Schools. As we reported last week, we have seen several military personnel at Green Joe's Coffee Company. Perhaps they are in the neighborhood checking the progress of the new facility. In addition to recruiting, we're betting they will be involved in the many holidays where veterans and active duty military participate. It will be a convenient place to visit to learn more about special events, like Veterans and Memorial Day.

North Carolina has military bases for four of the five branches of the United States armed forces: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Air Force (Fort Bragg, Base Support Unit Elizabeth City, Camp Jejeune, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, respectively). North Carolina has 129,049 active duty and reserve members. Our State is third, just behind California and Texas.*  If you want to thank someone on active duty, consider sticking your head into the new career center and welcoming them to the neighborhood. Also, consider treating a soldier to a cup of coffee. Happy Tuesday!

*Reference, here.