Greensboro Daily Photo

A Mondrian Take on Perry's Service Center

Perry's Service Center, formerly known as Perry's Downtown Exxon, is located in the 400 block of North Greene Street, a block off North Elm.  On January 26, 2015, The Greensboro News and Record wrote an article about Perry's being the oldest, downtown gas station even in the early 1980s. As the article points out, in 1953, less than a decade after WWII, there were 47 places to buy gas downtown. Journalist Jim Schlosser cleverly combed Greensboro city directories and surmised that gas was first pumped there in 1929. *

A couple of years ago, we were walking past the property the day Exxon was leaving the site. A couple of guys were called in to remove Exxon signage and they didn't know what was happening next.  According to the Winston Salem Journal (3/26/24), as confirmed by their perusing the Register of Deeds filings, a Clemmons group purchased the site for $502,000.  This past December 29th, we were urban walking and noticed a fresh paint job on the building with the addition of yellow on the canopy. This must be new, because yellow was never an Exxon color. Also, the concrete car bumpers have been painted bright red.  Another sign of life was that bay being partially open.  However, what really caught our eye was the red, blue, and yellow composition against square and rectangular shapes. If the 20th century Dutch painter Piet Mondrian's canvases came to life in a street scene, they would not look unlike this scene!

Happy Monday!

 

*If you miss Mr. Schlosser's journalism and you like a good stories about Greensboro, see the original article HERE.

Greensboro Residents Join National Protests

The above photo was taken last night, as we drove past the Greensboro Grasshoppers' baseball stadium on Eugene Street, just before 11:00 pm.  Protesters were out expressing their concern about the recent killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.

Since the 1960's, Greensboro has been known for its role in the Civil Rights Movement and for working to make sure people are treated equitably. With approximately 40% of our community African American, when a minority dies in the hands of police officers, it does not go unnoticed in Greensboro.

In true Greensboro style, last night's rally was peaceful and multicultural. When we were on site photographing, the above  young protester leaned in to the camera so that we could read the message, "I hope I don't get killed for being black today." From churches to classrooms to neighborhoods, a lot of dialog is in order. Fox 8 was on site putting together a report on the situation. It will be interesting to see what they report.

N is for News

News vans, reporters, and camera persons were downtown on Monday afternoon in front of the court house. They were covering redistricting. New voting districts for City Council elections are supposed to take effect in 2017. We haven't been following the issue thoroughly; however, we do know the issue has generated a lot of controversy and that there seems to be a lot of that going around in North Carolina these days. The above vans were parked on West Market Street, right across from the West Market Street United Methodist Church.

Today is ABC Wednesday and for our A-Z Urban Finds Series, N is for News. Downtown is always a great place to keep up with news and WRAL, with its coverage from the Triad to the Coast, was covering the news live. A big thank you to all TV stations and community newspapers for keeping us informed!

My FOX 8 (and Friends) Taping Chanukah Festivities

Local media were out covering Chanukah festivities in Center City Park on Sunday. Above, photojournalist Brian Rainey works diligently taping the event. We were so impressed at the demeanor of the all the camera people from the different news chanels. They found a way to get their needed footage, yet making room for all of the amateurs (like us) wandering through the crowd. Hats off to the journalists, photo/video/print, who keep us informed and help maintain a sense of community. Speaking of hats, the man in the background, wearing the Menorah hat, is Ivan Saul Cutler, a local journalist and blogger. His plush Menorah brought quite a smile to children and adults alike.

At the top, as if overseeing everything, is the Lincoln Financial Building (formerly Jefferson Standard & Jeferson Pilot) blinking the time and temperature at sunset. We didn't see Brian's final footage on Fox 8 this week; however, we want to thank him and his co-workers for covering these community events. It makes a difference.

Downtown Greensboro Makes Ready

To make ready to do something is an expression commonly heard from the older generation, especially those speaking the dialects of rural North Carolina. Well, downtown Greensboro is making ready to celebrate First Friday and the Festival of Lights this evening. From 6-9 pm, the city will be wall to wall people ushering in the holiday season. Many streets will be open to pedestrian traffic only as the event is so well attended. Here is our photo from last year's lighting of the city's holiday tree. The above photo (camera phone, sorry) features WXII Chanel 12 News getting ready to feature Elm Street on the news.

Whether you are alone or with a passel of friends, you will not regret getting out and seeing our city donning its Sunday best. Musicians will line the streets, galleries will have great art and snacks to share, restaurants will have great specials. Rumor has it that the folks at Design Archives are donning their over-the-top Christmas sweaters. You really, really should consider wearing one yourself. They are GREAT conversation starters. We'll be roaming the streets in search of the perfect holiday photo. So, S-M-I-L-E and say "Greensboro" and, with your rounded, open mouth, you'll look like you are a caroler, caught mid-song!  We're READY.

Finally, our unique, original, treasure of a theatre, Triad Stage, is in need of a little holiday "greenery." If you get a chance, drop a little in their virtual bucket. Or, if you happen to walk by, consider stopping in and giving them some holiday cheer-- and get a tax deduction while you are at it. 

                                                                          

 

In the News.............

Today, we take you "on location" to West Market Street where all eyes and all cameras are on the Preyer Building, Greensboro's post office and federal courthouse. The above photo is a picture of the news station's TV screen, monitororing the coming and goings for the John Edward's trial. The inside area of the news vans is so interesting. Definitely, it is the newscasters' home-away-from-home. They sit there eating bananas, drinking coffee, and discussing their schedule for the day,  perched in their early-bird location awaiting activity related to the trial. The picture in the upper right corner of the Sony screen is the federal courthouse and the main entrance.

If you get a chance, head downtown and watch this process-- especially if you home-school and are in a position to take your children to see how news is reported. This is history-in-the-making. Since the closing arguments were delivered yesterday, a verdict could be reached today. Stay tuned! A special thanks to our citizens who are doing their civic duty and serving on this jury. They have been seated since the end of April. Both Mr. and Mrs. GDP were called for jury duty within the past year, but didn't have to serve. The judicial process, however, makes you feel connected to the legal system in a positive way, as does attending trials and watching the seamless work of the news reporters.

Cycling Around Greensboro

Cycling is a growing sport in Greensboro. We are expanding our greenways and are starting to see bicycle lanes around town, especially around UNC Greensboro. Here is a group of cyclists just after advocating for their space on the highways at a meeting regarding widening Horse Pen Creek Road. The cyclists as well as Fox 8 News have been following this process. 

We decided to feature this photo today because, this past weekend, cyclist David Sherman was killed in a hit and run accident. A silver Dodge Durango hit David while he was cycling on North Church Street. The sport is growing so quickly, motorists have got to get used to sharing the road. Cyclists and motorists need to work together to keep the roads safe for all! 

This photo is our contribution to Ruby Tuesday, a meme that celebrates the color red.