A secret park: Devereux Meadow
by Scott Huler The dozen or so healthy oak trees standing in a line in the secret park along the Pigeon House Branch north of Peace Street look to be about 40 years old, which means the oaks, which…
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Mixing it up: Raleigh’s bar scene keeps it lively
Here’s a thought. A little bar-hopping in a great bar town just might do you good. After all, bars are in business for one reason: to make you happy. And if I learned one thing in the exhaustive investigative research…
Sultans of swing
by Allie Higgins photograph by Missy McLamb Raleigh craftsmen Matthew Cronheim and Justin Johnson are putting an unexpected twist on a summer classic: the porch swing. Stacked, slotted, and strung, their handmade Harris Swing makes for a cool glide on a…
Back to her roots: Lauren Kennedy ‘This is my future’
by Liza Roberts photographs by Lissa Gotwals When Broadway star Lauren Kennedy was growing up in Raleigh, she put in her time doing wholesome-kid things like catching salamanders in the creek near her house, and playing games like freeze tag with her…
Cow to cone: Raleigh’s own ice cream
by Ann Brooke Raynal photographs by Juli Leonard As drivers whiz down I-40, heading into Raleigh, a glance to the right will reveal a green swath, vivid evidence that the region’s agricultural roots are alive and well. Thanks to miles of farmland…
A perfect picnic: Junior League cookbook style
by Andrea Wiegl photographs by Juli Leonard Summer is a time for backyard cook-outs, July Fourth picnics, and patio parties. It’s also when Southern cooks turn to their go-to sources for party food. If that’s a cookbook, it is likely a…
A house for horses: The Shanahan Barn
by Liza Roberts photographs by Nick Pironio Some people build beach houses or mountain houses to get away from it all. Tina Shanahan built a barn. Home to two mares and a filly, the custom barn is the realization of a dream Shanahan,…
The Arboretum: In Bloom
illustrations by Laura Frankstone One of the largest and most diverse collections of plants that thrive in the Southeast can be found at Raleigh’s J.C. Raulston Arboretum. This meandering, 10-acre research garden, planted with more than 5,000 different kinds of…
Seaweed, horsehair and sugar: Innovative potter Edge Barnes has a recipe all his own
by Amber Nimocks photographs by Tim Lytvinenko Edge Barnes has always been “in beta,” long before always being “in beta” was cool. “If there’s not something new going on, there’s something wrong,” he says. It might seem incongruous for a gray-bearded potter…
Pimm’s cup: As fresh as the season
by Charles Upchurch photograph by Juli Leonard Yes, I am drinking a Pimm’s Cup as I write this. OK, I’m finishing a Pimm’s Cup. I recommend that you enjoy one while reading this summer issue of Walter. Out in the…
Technicolor wonder: Canna ‘Phasion’
by Tony Avent illustration by Ippy Patterson I’ll never forget the day in June 1997 when I met Canna ‘Phasion’ in person. For normal people, it would be like meeting Elvis or Barbra Streisand. I had long been a fan…
Sharing music: Bett Padgett’s open house keeps it alive
by Liza Roberts photographs by Mark Petko As Bett Padgett welcomes yet another stranger into her Raleigh home on this bright-green evening, she’s doing something she considers vital: Sharing music. Tonight, she’s sharing it with about 90 people who have…
Kazem Yahyapour: Health, joy, and community through running
by Amber Nimocks photographs by Robert Willett Kazem Yahyapour,58, started running to keep his heart beating. He kept running because it feeds his soul. Yahyapour was 48 when he had a heart attack, five years younger than his father had…
My relationship with Raleigh: It’s complicated
by Peggy Payne photograph by Robert Willett We met in 1954 when I was 5 years old and went to visit – all by myself! – my twenty-something aunt, a single girl with a job in the big city. What I…