Spotlight: Locavores
by Jessie Ammons photograph by Chris Seward, The News & Observer If the abundance of farmers’ markets in our area is any indication, it’s safe to say that eating locally is no longer a trend – it’s here to stay. We’ve…
Category: Arts & Culture
Spotlight: Theater happenings
There’s no shortage of entertainment in Raleigh, especially when it comes to theater. From dreamy, moonlit Shakespearean nights at the Raleigh Rose Garden, to toe-tapping musical numbers belted from Raleigh Memorial Auditorium’s grand stage, to wild tales of booze, love…
Grit and beauty: The evolution of Justin LeBlanc
by Liza Roberts photographs by Tim Lytvinenko “I need to make.” Justin LeBlanc’s fingers fly across a swath of mesh, attaching zip-ties to fabric in careful rows. “I’m a maker. If I don’t make…I go crazy.” Not that there’s any…
Lessons from lessons
by David Crabtree The wind is cold. Biting. A December wind that rushes, howling by the gothic stone of the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. Cold December winds have blown over these stones since the 15th century. Even the War…
Overcoming barriers, building leaders
by Lewis Beale photographs by Nick Pironio When Marco Zárate arrived here from Mexico in 1979 to study for his master’s degree in industrial engineering at N.C. State, he discovered that Hispanic culture in the Triangle was basically nonexistent. No Hispanic markets,…
The piano
by Elaine Neil Orr My 32-year-old son wanted the piano, and I told him he could have it. I hadn’t played it for years. But I put off making the arrangements. Finally I got a piano technician to come to…
Rock star: Bailey McNeill’s jewelry for the cure
by Jessie Ammons photographs by Nick Pironio Growing up, Bailey McNeill always looked forward to her family’s annual summer trip, one she still takes with her grandparents, siblings, and cousins to the mountains for a week of hiking and gemstone mining. It…
Dogs at work
photographs by Juli Leonard Bringing your dog to work can have major benefits. Canine companions make for more than good company – they lower stress levels, boost productivity, and increase camaraderie. Studies prove it’s true. At Walter, we know this first…
Blake Simpson Fricks: A good neighbor
by Todd Cohen Raleigh lawyer Blake Simpson Fricks is the kind of volunteer every nonprofit wishes it had: one so dedicated and effective that the agency is compelled to hire her. That happened in early 2012, after Fricks had volunteered…
A day in the life of the Carolina Hurricanes
photographs by Geoff Wood Raleigh’s Carolina Hurricanes have undeniably had a challenging few years. The team hasn’t made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2009. Its current record of 16-25 puts it in last place in the NHL’s Metropolitan…
Birds Are One Music of the World
by Al Maginnes Because they are beautiful and small, with brassy songs and feathers that host the entire range of visible color, I could listen or watch without any need to know their names. My wife reads markings and colors,…
The human season
by Heather Bowlan Last night a choir of owls in the parking lot, one on every branch of the oak tree, the mottled colors of autumn turning to winter around them, their own feathers silk petals streaked brown to white,…
The Cherry Bounce: Raleigh’s official cocktail
Learn about Raleigh’s signature cocktail
In Praise of Lost Fathers: A true story of the greatest generation and the daughters they nurtured
by Joyce Fitzpatrick The late winter sunlight slanted through the old stained glass windows of Raleigh’s First Baptist Church, casting a golden glow. Among a small, quiet group were women in their late 50s who had come to help their…