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2008 hot list!
The Top 10 buzz about town

By: Shea Carver & Emily Rea

“That’s hot!” It’s still a phrase that resonates with us all, as we stay perched on the lookout for the next best thing. In Wilmington the topics range from buying local at Farmers’ Markets to supporting the arts, such as the Alban Elved Dance Company or new band The Love Language. New developments like Autumn Hall or the dreaded Titan Cement Plant keep our lips moist with fire, before we cool them off with a sip from the cocktail of the season, Zipang. Whatever Wilmingtontians are talking about, we have it covered in our Top 10 list of what’s hot right now. Sit back, cool down and flip on through—oh, and let us know your own thoughts, too! After all, encore readers and their opinions always remain “hot! hot! hot!” no matter the season.

FARMERS MARKET
Considering the state of our economy, as well as that of the environment, if shopping at one of the Port City’s local farmers’ markets isn’t already on everyone’s hot list, it by all means should be. Buying local is hot on so many different levels, it might as well be a bonfire of exemplary decisions.

For one, any food that does not have to be shipped long distances is going to be fresher and taste better. As opposed to foods at large supermarkets (which travel an average of 1,300 miles to get there), food from local farmers are bred for taste and freshness rather than shipping and long shelf-life.

Buying local also strengthens the local economy by circulating dollars within the community. It supports local family farms that are becoming endangered, as more of the proceeds will benefit them.

Shockingly, when shopping at a large supermarket, only 18 cents of every dollar goes to the grower; the other 82 cents goes to unnecessary middlemen, according to the statistics provided by RT Jones of Wilmington’s Riverfront Farmers’ Market. Buying from local farmers also ensures a safer product, as they avoid or reduce the use of chemicals, pesticides or hormones, which will safeguard the shopper’s health.

“Plus, the fresher the product, the more nutritious,” BJ Ryan of Poplar Grove’s Farmers’ Market adds. “You will find local products that the chain stores don’t carry, such as local wine, goat cheese, meat and honey. The flowers, landscape plants and herbs are grown in this area, which makes them better suited to thrive in your garden; again you get better value for your money.”

Now that we’re in a state of perpetual green living, it can’t go unnoticed that buying local helps protect the environment, too. Local food doesn’t have to travel far and, therefore, reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials.

Now in its fifth year, the open-air, curbside Riverfront Farmers’ Market offers fresh local food in downtown Wilmington on Saturdays, April 19th-December 20th, from 8am-12:30pm. The farmers’ market at Poplar Grove (open since the spring of 2007 and located on the front lawn of the Poplar Grove Historic Plantation off Highway 17 North) is open April 9th-December 17th, every Wednesday from 8am-1pm, and the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 3:30-6:30pm.

Keeping in step with the “go-green” movement, shoppers should not forget to bring their reusable shopping bags on their way to either market. Local co-op Tidal Creek (located at 5329 Oleander Drive) has a nice selection of bags that won’t require the question, “Paper or plastic?” They sell everything from large, heavy-duty canvas bags; colorful, compact Chico bags to colorful string bags to handmade African baskets.

“For every reusable bag that a customer brings into our store, we donate five cents to a local nonprofit,” Tidal Creek’s community outreach and volunteer coordinator April Marlow says. “Every three months we choose two local nonprofits. Last quarter was Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard and the NC Coastal Land Trust. This quarter is the Carolina Canine Service and the Full Belly Project, and the shopper gets to choose who to donate their money to.”

AUTUMN HALL
It’s no secret that new development in Wilmington in the last few years alone has been staggering, enough to make locals wonder if they’ll ever see the day when there’s no road work being done, land being cleared for new projects or the constant hum of construction work turning building dreams into realities. But the latest, hottest buzz has been centered around new development Autumn Hall, located off Eastwood Road. The area is being constructed like a “main street retail village,” including shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, outdoor pavilions and homes. It would be easy to dismiss Autumn Hall as just another retail village if not for its attention to the environment and the area’s historic architecture, two components of which set it apart from the rest and make it a hot topic on the lips of resident Wilmingtonians.

“The developer of Autumn Hall, Raiford G. Trask III, is particularly interested in environmental stewardship and preservation of natural resources because of Autumn Hall’s history,” Lisa Thompson, development coordinator, reveals. “His grandfather purchased the property in the 1950s for $27 an acre. Developing this land properly means keeping architecture authentic to the region, protecting and enhancing green space, and creating an overall world-class community for those who will live, work here and [entertain] their guests.”

Green space has taken utmost priority in the land plan, totaling 51 acres and including 11 parks that will serve as recreational fields, contemplative gardens, playgrounds and an eight-acre lake for fishing, kayaking and canoeing. “No single family homesite is more than 400-feet walking distance from a park,” Thompson says. “Autumn Hall [will be] a pedestrian community. Numerous trails and walking paths are planned, in addition to the 3.77K multi-use path, which ties into the city’s multi-use path running from downtown to Wrightsville Beach.”

Besides all the plans for new gardens and paths, Autumn Hall is very much concerned with preserving what already naturally exists. “[We are] saving trees—we have already spaded approximately 200 trees in the first phase and will continue these efforts throughout the development process—preserving water quality of Bradley Creek, using less water to irrigate, and using natural areas as buffers for roads, creek and wildlife.”

Design inspiration for homes in Autumn Hall is also in the business of preservation, as it is being drawn from “authentic elements of our area’s historic architecture,” Thompson describes. The development signed on Cape Fear Heritage Architecture to draw homes from the styles and details of Wilmington’s antebellum manors, coastal plantation homes, casual summer cottages and grand soundside retreats. Adding to the charm and allure of Autumn Hall will be the art installations in Shannon Garden, part of the citywide Pedestrian Art project created by Matthew Dols of CreativeWilmington.

“Pedestrian Art is less about what we had seen in other cities and more about what we would like to see happen in public spaces,” Dols tells. “One of the reasons that Pedestrian Art is set up to have rotating exhibitions is to continually excite and enhance public spaces. . . . The Pedestrian Art Program views public art as integral to a community’s fabric by recognizing the potential of art to create livable cities, enhance neighborhood identity, strengthen economic development and tourism, educate children and adults, and enrich the spirit and pride of its citizens.”

Of the Autumn Hall component to Pedestrian Art, set to begin in the fall of 2009, Dols continues, “The major difference is that the sculptures at Autumn Hall will be installed for one year instead of six months, [such as] at the Mayfaire and downtown locations.”

For more information on Autumn Hall, visit www.autumnhall.com. For details about Pedestrian Art, visit www.creativewilmington.com.

THE BIG SWITCH
It’s been broadcasted all over town in nearly every kind of medium, creating quite a buzz not only in Wilmington, but the entire nation: The Big Switch. Wilmington has been selected as the first city in America to switch over completely to digital cable, wherein, after September 8th, 2008, full-power commercial TV stations will only broadcast in digital, and analog antenna-supported televisions will render inoperable—unless, of course, the owners of such get the new digital convertor box to hook up to them. (Subscribers to cable or satellite TV, need not fear; for them the switch will not apply.) So what’s the point in going completely digital?

“I’m not sure I can list all [the positives],” Gary McNair, Vice President and General Manager of WECT, says. “Digital is simply a better system than analog. It is the foundation of the system and allows for better pictures, better sound, opportunity for multiple channels (multicasting) andmore flexibility for advanced features, and [it’s] more efficient. Plus, the government wants to repack the spectrum and sell some of it, making some available for public service.”

First in Flight and “First in Digital,” North Carolina is proud to premiere DTV in Wilmington, one of only about 10 markets in the nation that could be ready early. “The chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin, is from North Carolina and used his connections to the broadcasters here to facilitate discussions that eventually led to the broadcasters in this market agreeing to the ‘test,’” McNair explains.
One change for everyone to note when the switch occurs is that picking up WECT on FM 87.7 will cease to exist. “There is not anything anyone—us or the government—can do about it,” McNair says. “Losing that frequency is a byproduct of the analog-to-digital conversion. We have made arrangements with WGNI 102.7 to simulcast our signal during times of emergencies, such as severe weather coverage.”

But the benefits of DTV far outweigh any minor discrepancies. Converting to DTV will free up parts of the valuable—and scant—broadcast spectrum, allowing these portions to be used for other important services, like public and safety services (police and fire departments, as well as emergency rescue), and advanced wireless services. DTV is a win-win on all accounts and therefore quite buzz-worthy indeed.

ALBAN ELVED DANCE COMPANY
Dance is rhythm of motion. It can be connected or disjointed; fluid or staccatic; literal or abstract. Whether symbolic of emotions, agendas, stances or creeds, one characteristic that remains steadfast is its foundation as an artform. Local nonprofit dance company Alban Elved is solidifying its regard within our local arts community after completion of a successful one-year residency at UNCW.

Choreographer, artistic director, lead dancer and founder Karola Luttringhaus told encore last week how much she and the company thoroughly enjoyed their time at UNCW, but, more importantly, “We are looking forward to a residency at the Cameron Art Museum (CAM) for the 2008-09 academic year.”

The residency will include museum use for the company’s regular rehearsal needs, as well as provide a place for Luttringhaus and others to offer classes and workshops. The funds from the teachings go back to the company, so they can continue bringing performances and demonstrations to the Wilmington arts community.

“Although the residency isn’t formally in place yet,” Daphne Holmes, curator of public programs at CAM, said, “we’ve agreed that the [2008 SARUS Arts Festival will hold performances] here on August 10th and 14th, with admission by donation . . . [and] all proceeds going to SARUS. . . .”

SARUS is the annual dance festival that Alban Elved inaugurated among Wilmington streets last year. The dance festival will take place in various locations throughout our city, so that folks of all walks of life can be exposed to it. “[It] brings art and dance to the people so they don’t have to make themselves go to see it,” Luttringhaus said. Yet, she believes, “[Audiences] have to be open-minded and eager to try something new. It isn’t scary at all, or that different or complicated.”

SARUS presents 11 days of performance art, classes and lecture demonstrations all over town, from restaurants and retail spaces, such as Water Street Restaurant and Independence Mall, to more natural surroundings such as Wrighstville and Carolina beaches, among other locations. It’s quite appropos that they hold beach performances, too, considering the name’s genesis hints at the brilliance of art existing in everyday, organic life.

“[Alban Elved is] the Celtic name for ‘day’ that marks the beginning of the fall season, literally translating to ‘the light of the water,’” Luttringhaus revealed. “Water often finds a place in the company’s works in actual or metaphorical form.”

Having been established in 1997, the German-born founder, whose credentials sweep across nations, as she studied at the Freie Universitaet Berlin for Philosophy and Art History and North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, Luttringhaus has produced 50 works over the last 10 years. She has no plans of slowing down either, as her goal remains “to play alongside with major artists in the field of theatre, dance and cross disciplines, [and receive] international recognition of artistic excellence.”

With a dedication and drive to deliver professional high-quality art to the masses, the mission of Alban Elved remains rather simple: “The company continues to build a growing presence on the national contemporary dance scene. Through original live dance works, we invite audiences of all backgrounds to find inspiration in the connections of art and their daily lives. We believe in the importance of kinesthetic art and value it as an enrichment and inspiration to the human spirit.”

Essential to its success is support from Wilmington. “We are hoping for the community to understand the caliber of work that we offer here,” Luttringhaus stated, “and we hope that that will lead to funding—which we need in order to survive here.”

To find out more about the 2008 SARUS Dance Festival, log onto www.sarusfestival.com where a full schedule of events is listed through August. Contact information can also be found on the page for those who wish to donate.

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