by: Shea Carver

It happens every year like clockwork: The sun starts staying out a little longer. The days start progressively getting warmer. The residents go mad about town to partake in free stuff to do! Yep, that’s right—I said it: F-R-E-E!

The annual 2010 New Hanover County Residents’ Free Day, also known as “Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown,” continually comes to us at the cusp of spring, almost as if the folks over at the Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitor’s Bureau know exactly how to alleviate our cabin fever from winter’s breezy, cold temperatures. Like the many free-days that have come before it, 2010’s event will make for one hefty activity-filled Sunday, held March 7th at participating attractions and tourist stops all over Wilmington.

It’s the perfect time to breathe in fresh, warmer air and enjoy the outdoors, whether strolling through Airlie or taking a boat ride along the Intracoastal. There will be tours, live demonstrations and free stuff to do all day along our coast; just bring an ID proving New-Hanover residency (attractions allowing citizens from other counties are noted in the event paragraphs), and reap the benefits. Here is what will be offered: (Note: Some events require early reservations or ticket pickup).

Airlie Gardens
300 Airlie Road • (910) 798-7566

Stroll through the winding paths of this century-old garden by the sea, where the foliage and views are always breathtaking. Open 9am to 5pm.

Arboretum at New Hanover County Co-op Extension
6206 Oleander Drive • (910) 798-7660.

Explore six or more acres of demonstration and trial gardens to discover the newest and best plants for area landscapes and gardens, from 8am-6pm.

Battleship NORTH CAROLINA
Hwys.17/74/76/421, on the Cape Fear River • (910) 251-5797.

From 8am-5pm, climb aboard the Battleship, and imagine being at sea during WWII, searching the sky for enemy aircraft, anticipating what may happen next. History comes alive. Free admission to New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender county residents with proper ID. Last boarding 4pm; closes 5pm.

Bellamy Mansion Museum
503 Market Street • (910) 251-3700.

Visit the formal areas and kitchen in the basement of the mansion, 1-4pm, and hear historical information about the original slave quarters and its restoration in the rear garden. Gift shop will also be open.

Blue Moon Gift Shops
203 Racine Drive • (910) 799-5793.

Open from noon to 5pm, Blue Moon features over 100 eclectic shops, showcasing works by artists and crafts-people. Tastings and craft/vendor demonstrations will take place throughout the day.

Burchetta Glassblowing Studio
and Gallery
201 Red Cross Street • (910) 399-7614.

See live glassblowing demonstrations and tour the gallery from 10am-4pm.

Burgwin-Wright Museum House
224 Market Street • (910) 762-0570

While the house will not be open, visitors may tour the historic gardens and visit the Colonial kitchen and the former jail. A self-guided garden tour is available, with layout, historic facts, plant identification, etc., all taking place noon to 5pm.

Cameron Art Museum
3201 S. 17th Street • (910) 395-5999

Southeast NC’s premier art museum will be open from 11am-5pm, featuring three exhibitions: Toying with Art (Galleria cases); KALEIDOSCOPE: Changing Views of the Permanent Collection (Brown Wing); and Recollection: The Past is Present (Hughes wing). Located at the corner of Independence and Shipyard boulevards.

Cape Fear Museum of
History and Science
814 Market Street • (910) 798-4350

Discover the history, science and cultures of the Lower Cape Fear, from 1-5pm. Visit the Cape Fear’s newest exhibits: Conservation Matters; Going to the Movies; and Cape Fear Treasures: Drinks.

Capt’n Bill’s Backyard Grill
4240 Market Street • (910) 762-0173.

Starting at noon and lasting until 9pm, Capt’n Bills will offer free volleyball! The grill will be open with food and drink specials, too!

Carolina Beach Lake Park
Atlanta & Lake Park Blvd
(910) 617-9793.

Located in Carolina Beach, Wheel Fun Rentals will offer free paddle boat rentals. to New Hanover residents only from 10am to 2pm.

Carolina Beach State Park
State Park Road • (910) 458-8206

For 12 hours, 8am-8pm. folks can head over to the Carolina Beach Park with a picnic and fishing supplies, and explore nature trails, the visitor center, or just enjoy the nature that surrounds them. (Marina closed for renovation/campsite rentals not included.)

EUE/Screen Gems Studio
1223 N. 23rd Street • (910) 343-3500

Screen Gems will give tours on Sunday at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm, but advance tickets are required! To tour Screen Gems, participants must pick up tickets on Friday the 5th at Screen Gems from 12-5pm. Tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. No tickets will be handed out on the day of the tour!

Federal Point History Center
1121-A North Lake Park Blvd.
(910) 458-0502.

Enjoy exhibits and audio-visual presentations portraying periods in the Federal Point community, including pre-historic, colonial, Civil War and development of Carolina-Kure Beaches and Seabreeze as tourist attractions. Refreshments served; takes place 1-4pm.

Fort Fisher State Historic Site—Civil War Fort
Hwy. 421 Kure Beach • (910) 458-5538

Enjoy scenic views of the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean, from 1-5pm, upon visiting, tour trails, historic earthen fortifications, visitor center and Civil War museum.

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
1000 Loggerhead Road, off US 421
(910) 458-5798.

Visitor center, free access to the 4WD beach and four-mile stretch of undeveloped beach for shell seekers, bird watchers. 4WD access free to New Hanover residents only, from 8am-5pm.

Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington
Meets at Cape Fear Riverwalk at Market & Water streets • (910) 233-7630

Guided tours start at 5:30pm only. Reservations are required and on a first-come, first-served basis. Guides will take larger groups than normal, and tour will be somewhat abbreviated. Space is limited. New Hanover residents only!

Greenfield Grind Skatepark
Burnett Blvd, behind Parks and Rec offices • (910) 362-8222

Participants get free admission between 1-8pm. All participants are required to wear helmet and pads.

Halyburton Park
4099 17th Street • (910) 341-0075

From 8am-5pm take a hike, or ride a bike through the 58-acre tract of land, comprised of gently-rolling sandhills, wet pine flatwoods and lime-sink depression ponds, and discover the many plants and animal species living here.

Hannah Block Historic USO/
Community Arts Center
2nd & Orange streets • (910) 793-6393

Spend a WWII-history afternoon, 12pm-5pm, at one of the few remaining USO buildings. Tour the restored building, theatre, and WWII home front mini-museum. Meet local WWII veterans and home-front workers with wartime memorabilia to swap stories, pose for photos and share experiences. It’s an opportunity to say “thanks” to our version of the Greatest Generation.

Haunted Pub Crawl at
Fat Tony’s Italian Pub
131 N. Front Street • (910) 343-8881

Get a “taste” of the Haunted Pub Crawl, from noon-6pm, and hear eerie tales that will both shiver ye timbers and make ye laugh out loud; starting at noon on the hour every hour with the last one at 6pm. All ages welcome; stories censored to suit audience. Prizes for kids.

Hollywood Location Walk
of Old Wilmington
Meets at Cape Fear Riverwalk at Market and Water streets • (910) 233-7630

Guided tours start at noon only. Reservations are required on a first-come, first-served basis. Guide will take larger groups than normal, and tour will be somewhat abbreviated. Space is limited, and for New Hanover residents only!

Hugh MacRae Park & Nature Trail
Oleander Drive and S. College Road
(910) 798-7181

From 8am-10pm, Hugh MacRae’s playgrounds (5-12-year-old playground is lighted), lighted tennis courts, athletic fields, picnic areas, nature trails, etc., can be enjoyed. And it’s free everyday (except for shelter, horse ring, baseball fields and garden rentals). Baseball fields must be reserved in advance. Walk the 1.55 mile trail right in the park or visit the Hugh MacRae Nature Trail located across the street behind the New Hanover Senior Center.

Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park
5320 Oleander Drive • (910) 791-0666

Offering a choice of one of the following activities to each participant, from 1-4pm: A free round of Jungle Golf—or—a free go-kart ride—or—a free wall climb.

N.C. Military History Museum
116 Air Force Way, Kure Beach
(910) 477-0499

Visit from noon-4pm, and see artifacts, memorabilia, displays from WWI through Desert Storm, with photos, documents, letters, uniforms, fieldgear, hats, helmets, gift shop and more.

Special Guests at Riverfront Visitor Information Booth
Cape Fear Riverwalk, Water and
Market streets • (910) 341-4030

With weather permitting, from 1-3pm, team and event mascots will greet residents, hand out schedules/flyers, pose for photos, and sign autographs. Confirmed guests include “Salty Dawg” (Wilmington Sea Dawgs pro basketball team) and “Sharky” (Wilmington Sharks baseball team); Azalea Belles (courtesy of the Cape Fear Garden Club); and storyteller/musician John Golden from 2-3pm. Educators from the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s outreach classroom will share information about marine life found along NC’s coast. Stop by to meet the special guests, get a “Hometown Tourist” sticker, and a list of attractions/tours offering free admission!

The Black Cat Shop
11 Market Street • (910) 251-6663

Aye, mateys, ‘yer looking for a bit of adventure in the Port City? Drop by to see some magic, hear some true Wilmington pirate stories or to have ye fortune told, from 1-5pm. Space is limited and we will entertain first-come, first-served.

UNCW Arboretum Campus
601 S. College Road • (910) 962-3107

Explore this institutional arboretum campus with plant identification signs, from 7am-5pm, Three areas are of particular interest: “The Heritage Garden” at the front quadrangle; “The Campus Commons” in the center of campus; and “The Bluethenthal Nature Preserve,” located off Price Drive behind the University Union.

Victorian Gardens at Latimer
House Museum
126 South 3rd Street • (910) 762-0492

Enjoy a self-guided tour of garden only (brochure available at site, weather permitting) from 1-4pm; the house will be closed.

Wheel Fun Rentals
107 Carolina Beach Ave. N
(910) 617-9792.

Free bicycle & specialty product rentals for New Hanover residents only, 10am-2pm.

Wilmington Ice House
7201 Ogden Business Lane (next to Ogden Park off of Market Street)
(910) 686-1987.

Free skate rental only, 1-4pm! Admission $7 per skater and $ if under 5yrs. Offer good to New Hanover residents only!

Wilmington Railroad Museum
505 Nutt Street • (910) 763-2634

Railroad history and heritage are joined by a traveling exhibit of spectacular photographs by O. Winston Link, 1-4pm. Features for all New Hanover residents’ ages.

Wilmington Trolley
Downtown Wilmington • (910) 763-4483

The trolley will offer free shuttle service, 1-4pm, between the participating attractions in the downtown area. This is shuttle service only, not tours.

Wrightsville Beach Museum
of History
303 W. Salisbury Street, Wrightsville Beach (910) 256-2569

Visit this 1909 beach cottage and feel what life at the beach was like 100 years ago, 1-5pm. See our model of Wrightsville Beach in 1910 and learn about the trolley system linking town and beach.

Wrightsville Beach Scenic
Tours and Taxi
Banks Channel across from Blockade Runner Resort, Wrightsville Beach
(910) 200-4002.

Offered at 2pm and 3pm only, with advance reservations required, folks can enjoy a one-hour free ecological tour. Topics include salt marsh function, native birds and barrier island ecology. Space is limited.

For more information on hours of operation for attractions, contact them individually. In case of rain, call attractions to confirm outdoor activities. Also visit www.capefearcoast.com/hometown.

by: Christina Dore

Driving down Market Street, toward Wilmington’s Historic District, downtown, locals and tourists alike will find a bounty of indulgences: from hot coffee and homemade ice cream at Bella’s, to fine exquisite dining in the snug sofa lounge of Caprice Bistro, to a relaxing horse carriage ride around town. Curiosity arises on how Market Street earned its name, leading to another subsequent question: Where’s the market?

On Water Street, from April to December, we have the Riverfront Farmer’s Market every Saturday—probably the best place to be during any warm weekend morning. Farmers truck in their produce, local artists set up their own handmade crafts and artwork, and the Wilmington community contributes even more to their local economy. Thus, some people want more from a “market”—something more frequent and flexible.

Cue: the Wilmington Public Market.

The motto behind the idea remains simple: Every city needs a market. While Wilmington’s Farmer’s Market fills a void somewhat, the idea of the Wilmington Public Market gives citizens a wide spectrum of vendors, selling everything from jewelry to art, baskets to knick-knacks, preserved jams to canned goods, every day of the week.

Upon approaching Second and Market, heading downtown, the market would be immediately visible, as it’s proposed to take up the median space between Front and 2nd streets. It would span two buildings, which would eliminate 10 parking spots and two turning lanes. However, this will supposedly create a calmer traffic flow and a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, according to Gordon Singletary, one of the organizers of the Wilmington Public Market. The Market will also be able to house 48 vendors, who will always be visible to any passersby.

An information meeting was held February 10th, presented by local businessmen, downtown citizens and organizers John Hinnant, Gordon Singletary, David Spetrino and Matt Scharf. They opened up a discussion on other city public markets, including Charleston, Seattle and even the small Carrboro market, and expressed the hopes of giving Wilmington something similar.

When asked, none of the four organizers claimed credit as inventor or leader of the Wilmington Public Market. Instead, the idea came to Gordon Singletary, who instantly began drawing plans and submitted it to the city, where it received remarkable support. Now, these men are banding together to draw more people in and make the Wilmington Public Market a community creation. On the Facebook group alone, there are more than a 1,000 members and it’s continually growing. People are telling their friends and writing letters to the Star-News.

“I think it’s a great idea, and necessary for supporting local consumers, and keeping them healthy and away from mass-production,” local Terra Thompson says. “If they also wish to mimic what the market was, using a sort of historical approach, that could also become a tourism perk.”

Singletary and Spetrino explained after careful research that they predict the Wilmington Public Market will not only provide a more permanent structure, but will give Wilmington an estimated $500,000 impact on the local economy. With an excellent and diverse audience—downtown citizens, local businesspeople, farmers from the Riverfront Farmer’s Market, etc.—there was both excitement and disquiet over the idea.

Ron Koster, owner of Tarheel Beef Company and also a consistent vendor of the Riverfront Farmer’s Market, was one of the few very outspoken at the meeting. “At first, I was against this because I thought it was going to replace the Water Street market. I was like, ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’ The Riverfront Farmer’s Market started six years ago and has been doing great,” he says. “But I see what they’re going for now, and I still think there are still going to be some problems and they need to address those soon.”

All four organizers made it clear that the Wilmington Public Market is not a replacement of the Riverfront Farmer’s Market. If anything, it is supposed to have a complementary purpose, where people can walk around downtown, arrive at the Wilmington Public Market and continue walking until they reach the market on Water Street.

“As someone who unloads hundreds of pounds of meat and produce from my truck, I cannot see the logistics of this structure,” Koster continues. “Farmers are not going to have any room to park their trucks and unpack all their crops and products. And with some people, they’re going to need a lot more room to set up all their stuff than what they’re proposing for this building.”

Luckily, the farmers are not losing their place on Water Street. And if they cannot be part of the Wilmington Public Market, they still have their spot and it makes room for artists and crafts people that do not require a large amount of space for their tables and booths.

“The location is tight. We recognize that,” Spetrino explains. “But we also recognize that the long-term success of this market requires it to be at the epicenter of the ‘fun zone’—it will never provide the same far-reaching impact if it has to pull visitors. In an ideal business model, the most effective markets attract then push visitors to neighboring stores, events, restaurants, etc.”

Koster remains speculative but still hopeful of the prospect. “I feel what they’re doing now is very ambitious, and the main concerns I have is the possibility of this turning into a flea market. Also. [I worry about] this building becom[ing] a hangout that is not cleaned and maintained. I’m not dead [set] against this at all. I just hope they sort out all the possible issues.”

However, the plans are premature. No construction blueprints have been made, and no votes have been cast. The Wilmington Public Market is just an idea right now—one that needs to spread and be understood by the Wilmington community.

“I was completely impressed with the meeting’s turnout—it was encouraging to see an informed and engaged community. The next meeting is to the Vision 20/20 Committee on March 2nd and then to the Residents of Old Wilmington on March 10th,” Spetrino maps out.

To learn more about the Wilmington Public Market, visit www.wilmingtonpublicmarket.org, or go to the Facebook page where members can post their own comments.

by: MJ Pendelton

The Vagina Monologues
Lumina Theater, Fisher Student Center, UNCW
February11-14th
Thurs.-Sat., 7pm • Sun., 2pm
Tickets: $8 for students or $10 for public
www.etix.com or (910) 962-4045

What would your vagina say? What would your vagina wear? They’re questions to ponder come Valentine’s Day, when the UNCW Women’s Studies and Resource Center welcomes back their annual production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.”

It is awkward to say the word “vagina” because, to me, it sounds like a disease related to angina—or maybe even a town west of Winnebow. The nicknames are even worse—a “pussy” is a coward, for heaven sakes! The other slang terms are vernacular, generational and generally pejorative; a happy, sweet name would be good. The performers in “The Vagina Monologues” easily express their vaginal emotions.

“My vagina is my voice,” Amy Thompson asserts, “and my vagina says, ‘I do what I want.’”

“Look at me, listen to me, give me more attention,” Anne Chickering’s vagina wants to say.

Quoting from the “Monologues,” Camber Caldwell’s vagina would say, “Right now, I’m a dry wad of fucking cotton!”

Some apparel examples from the play include, “a big red bow, a tuxedo and emeralds.” How would the bow be attached? Is the tuxedo doll sized? And emeralds—ouch! This anthropomorphizing of the vagina is essentially comic relief in a deadly serious play.

“The humor is a foot in the door, so the whole evening isn’t about abuse,” director Amy Feath explained last week during our interview. “While the audience is laughing, they’re also thinking. No one would talk about sexuality in our society, and ‘The Vagina Monologues’ provides a discourse for discussions we don’t normally have.”

Playwright Eve Ensler, who is a victim of abuse herself, interviewed more than 200 women all over the world in the mid ‘90s, and “The Vagina Monologues” tells their stories.

“The theme of violence was the unfortunate byproduct of the playwright’s interviews,” Feath noted. “The women had been tortured, raped, sold into sexual slavery, and genitally mutilated. Rape has become a systematic tactic of war.”

However, “The Vagina Monologues” is not a feminist platform of propaganda. “It is a play about humanism,” Dr. Michelle Scatton-Tessier, director of Women’s Studies and Resource Center at UNCW, added. “It provides a non-threatening environment where you’re actually enjoying yourself, hearing these monologues and being inspired by them. It is a play about women but for humanity. The performers are giving a voice to a testimony and justice to another woman’s voice. It is a collective voice.”

The Playwright
“The Vagina Monologues” is Eve Ensler’s most well-known play. When it premiered in New York City in 1999, the word “vagina” was not allowed on the marquee. The production was referred to as “The V. Monologues.”

“When I started doing ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ I realized how impossible it was for women to say the word,” Ensler said in an interview with Time magazine “I would see the disgust, the shame, the embarrassment. The vagina is smack in the center of our bodies; yet, it is a place that most women felt ashamed of talking about. What did that say about the center of our beings? There’s something in the uttering of the word that reattaches you to it. It’s empowering.”

Ensler’s own shame was the consequence of an abusive father. “He was an alcoholic prone to anger and rages, with brutal indifference and without remorse,” she told Marianne Schnall in an interview. “I grew up in a really beautiful so-called ‘upper-middle-class’ environment, where everyone was telling me I was secure. There was a huge disconnect going on; my father was a corporate president [who] was beating me . . . molesting me. I was told not to believe that it was true, even what was happening to me. So I learned how to disassociate and disconnect for a long, long time.”

She used the vehicle of theater to exorcise her own damaged psyche and consequently communicated with a world of women. “Theater demands that we truly be where we are. By being there together, we are able to confront the seemingly impossible, we are able to feel that which we fear might destroy us—and we are educated and transformed.

“Theater. . .encourages us, as a community of strangers, to go some place together, and face the issues and realities we simply cannot face alone. Alone, we are powerless, translating our suffering and struggle into our own private narcissistic injuries. When we become a group, these issues become social or political concerns, responsibilities, a reason for being here together.”

“The Vagina Monologues” has become a global symbol in the war against atrocities. The shocking interviews and the play they created inspired Ensler to establish V-Day, and “The Vagina Monologues” became an integral part of every V-Day celebration around the world.

“I think that I have a profound desire to undo what was done to me,” she once stated. “And to make sure it isn’t done to anyone else. And I think I have a profound desire to really see if it’s possible for us to evolve out of a violent paradigm, and out of a violent mentality, and to actually know what the world would be like if we weren’t living in that. . . . The stories, the violence, the desire, utterly destabilized my life. Ironically, it was this unraveling that compelled me to devote myself to ending violence against women, and this commitment was indeed what gave me life.”

The Global Movement
The V-Day Movement is a nonprofit organization that promotes creative events to increase awareness of national and international violence against women and girls, and it raises funds for distribution among anti-violence charities. By its 10th anniversary, the movement had raised over $70 million. Its mission statement is an eight-point definition of purpose and dedication of spirit.

V-Day is...

“an organized response against violence toward women;

“a vision: We see a world where women live safely and freely;

“a demand: Rape, incest, battery, genital mutilation, and sexual slavery must end now;

“a spirit: We believe women should spend their lives creating and thriving rather than surviving or recovering from terrible atrocities;

“a catalyst: By raising money and consciousness, it will unify and strengthen existing anti-violence efforts. Triggering far-reaching awareness, it will lay the groundwork for new educational, protective and legislative endeavors throughout the world;

“a process: We will work as long as it takes. We will not stop until the violence stops;

“a day. We proclaim Valentine’s Day as V-Day, to celebrate women and end the violence.

“V-Day is a fierce, wild, unstoppable movement and community.”

Last year there were over 4,200 benefit events globally. There is a different focus each year. In 2006, New York City hosted a two-week celebration called “Until The Violence Stops,” which included creative events by actors and writers who contributed their talents. Following Hurricane Katrina, the 10th anniversary of V-Day was held in New Orleans and raised over $700,000 for local anti-violence efforts.

The V-Day organization has helped establish shelters for women in Egypt and Iraq, has donated satellite phones to Afghan women, and has conferenced with Asian women leaders in support of their efforts. This year the focus is on the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“I think I’ve been to a lot of scary places, but nothing I’ve ever seen compares with the Congo,” Ensler has commented. “It is without a doubt the worst place on the planet to be a woman.”

Local Involvement
UNCW is the host institution for the production of “The Vagina Monologues,” which will benefit the Rape Crisis Center at Coastal Horizons and the Domestic Violence Shelter and Services. This is the 10th year that UNCW has produced the play.

“We fought hard to get this at UNCW,” Feath, who is the director of the Rape Crisis Center, said. This year it will be staged at the Lumina Theater in the Fisher Student Center. The production is dependent on ticket sales and donors; there are no taxpayer dollars involved.

“The Women’s Studies and Resource Center engages an interdisciplinary community of scholars, students and advocates working in gender, sexuality and Women’s Studies. The center promotes gender equality, both locally and globally, through research support, programming, an academic minor and community engagement,” according to their mission statement. In 2004 the Care Office was established to stop campus violence against female students. The fourth-annual awareness event and fund-raiser for the Rape Crisis Center, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes International Men’s March, took place in Wilmington in November. Dr. Scatton-Tessier, who became the director of Women’s Studies and Resource Center in July, believes that “it’s time to move away from the labels and into the action.’’

Empowerment and Education
Playwright Ensler was so empowered by writing “The Vagina Monologues” that she created an organization dedicated to ending violence against girls and women. The effect of V-Day has been a universal solidarity of purpose. Everyone involved in our local production has been affected profoundly. Feath, who has spent her professional life combating sexual violence, has performed in the production for the last three years and is “rejuvenated” by the experience of directing. “The energy and dedication of all these young women remind me of who I was 21 years ago, and empower me to continue doing my work,” she said.

Those energetic and dedicated young women have also evolved. “Last year when I was in the production, my mom didn’t want me to tell my dad,” Caldwell said. “This year, I told him, and he’s driving down from Maryland to see the show—that’s empowering.” Thompson, who is “proud to be a woman, is empowered because [she] can talk about vagina issues more comfortably.”

“I think it’s more inspiring than empowering,” Chickering reflected. “I just hope I can do justice to these women’s stories, because they are important and need to be heard.”

“Many victims who see the show seek assistance [from the Rape Crisis Center or the Domestic Violence Shelter and Services], and they find they can survive and thrive,” Feath added.

Forget the flowers and chocolate this year. Tickets to “The Vagina Monologues” will help heal the hurt experienced by so many females around the world. This is a human issue and a collective responsibility. The violence must end.

by: encore readers and staff

Holiday traditions. For many of us, they are what makes the season so special. Whether weird, unique, sentimental or just because it wouldn’t be Christmas without them, each person’s or family’s traditions are cherished and looked forward to the whole year ‘round. This year we wanted to hear about ‘em: What are our encore readers’ holiday traditions?

“Our family celebrates a Christmas tradition which was started by my youngest daughter when she was 7 years old. She had learned about children in another country that left their shoes out on December 6th (Saint Nicholas Feast Day) in hopes that he would fill them with treats if they had been good. My daughter left her shoes out every year until she got married at the age of 21 and always found some “goodies.” This special tradition is carried on at our house today by my grandchildren. They bring a shoe to our house the night before, and are always delighted when they arrive the next day and find their surprises.”
Sally L. Galioto

“Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Christmas Eve dinner. [My daughter] Brooke and I always shop for our new Christmas jammies to wear Christmas morning. We pick out whatever we want!”
Kris Beasley

“The ornaments on my family’s live Christmas trees throughout the years have always been a pretty big deal. We have ornaments that my sister and I made growing up, an ornament for each annual summer vacation to Ocean Isle Beach, ornaments for special occasions, ornaments given as gifts—no ornament we have ever acquired has ever been left off. As you can imagine, this makes for an incredibly random—and incredibly packed—growing hodge podge of decorations on the tree from year to year. There is no theme, and no two are alike; but every one is special for the place, purpose or person who made it.

My sister and I had them all memorized from an early age, and we formed a game as kids in which one of us would hide an ornament and the other would have to come in and figure out which one was removed. It’s a game will still play every year to this day—and with hundreds of ornaments on my parents’ tree, we always know if a single one is missing.”
Emily Rea

“A big pot of soup on Christmas Eve. Invite friends, strangers and even that creepy neighbor... Eat. Burp. Live it up.”
Carey Sessoms

“In our family, [growing up] and mine [now], we have seven fishes on Christmas Eve. I make all kinds of fish dishes, and we have an awesome Christmas Eve dinner after church—although, my kids love to tease me that crab dip and various other of my dishes are crustaceans, not really fish dishes. It makes for a fun night.

It was something my dad and mom did, so I loved it. For my mom, it sometimes meant burnt or frozen fish sticks; sometimes the fish sticks even arrived to the table still frozen, with us howling with laughter!”
Annie Anthony

“I must share ‘Grandma Todd’s Christmas Party.’ Grandma Todd was the most godly woman ever. She had 11 children, so our family numbers are huge! She started this party 73 years ago, and to my knowledge it has met every year since then. Of course, that was three years before I was born! Grandma Todd went to Heaven in 1974, but the party goes on. We meet the second Sunday in December, come rain or high water. Several years after Grandma left us, we moved to the Wendell Baptist Church, her home church. Everybody brings food, and it is good, old-fashioned North Carolina food—and lots of it. Barbecue included! Chicken and pig. We draw names and exchange gifts, which are supposed to be under $5. (I am not sure we are all ‘legal’ with that.) When you reach 18, you get to go with the adults in the gift exchange, otherwise you are a ‘child.’

“Grandma Todd was strong in her faith, as are all her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and now great-great grandchildren. The Christmas story and singing are a big part of our celebration. All the ‘sisters’ take turns planning and arranging. The sisters are down to two now, so some of us have been ‘promoted’ to fill our moms’ shoes. Of the 11 children, four are still living. It is such a part of my Christmas and a tradition that I hope will continue long after I am gone. Growing up in small-town North Carolina is just the best. Don’t let anyone ever tell you Mayberry wasn’t real—it was and is.”
Nan Crawford

“When [my sister] Kim and I were little, on Christmas night, after all the festivities were over, my family would sit on the couch, in the dark, with only the Christmas tree on. Kim and I would take turns putting Mama’s glasses on and talk about how neat the lights looked while wearing the glasses.”
Amy Holmes

“After filling up on the turkey and fixings for Thanksgiving, we would fix vegetable soup, clam chowder, oyster stew and chili for Christmas Eve. There was always plenty for whomever would drop by—plus we got to open presents early!”
Laura Scharper

by: Adrian Varnam

Clarence Award Ceremony
presented to Jock Brandis of The Full Belly Project
UNCW Kenan Auditiorium
Screenings: Two Hours in the Dark (a short by Chip Hackler) and It’s a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra
December 13th, 2pm

“Strange, isn’t it?” asks angel Clarence Odbody to George Bailey in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. “Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” It’s a philosophical question that UNCW Film Studies Chair, Dr. Lou Buttino, has seen asked countless times as part of his department’s annual screening of the holiday classic. But it was five years ago that the scene became the impetus for the creation of the Clarence Award, which recognizes someone in the community who helps others realize, like Clarence, how valuable their lives are to others. This year’s award will be presented to a man many consider an angel among us: Wilmington resident and founder of the Full Belly Project, Jock Brandis.

“The Clarence Award is about recognizing someone for their contribution, the nature of their contribution and the nature of the person themselves,” Dr. Buttino says. “We really try to represent that angel in It’s a Wonderful Life, who really does make people see that they do matter in this world. It’s an ironic thing because the goal is to pick somebody that wouldn’t normally want to receive an award. That’s not why they’re doing it. They’re doing it because they care, and because they’re generous of spirit and the last thing they want to do is to be recognized. And those are the people that I want to recognize so that we have positive role models in this community, about the galvanizing power of good example.”

In keeping with that theme, it’s an award, Dr. Buttino says, that truly comes from the community itself. Nominees are recommended every fall by citizens who wish to recognize the angelic nature of someone in the area, and the winner is voted on by an anonymous committee of faculty and students. The winner is awarded during the annual screening of Capra’s film at UNCW, now in its 12th year.

For the greater Wilmington community, and throughout many parts of the poorest areas of our world, Jock Brandis, is the epitome and living embodiment of the spirit of Clarence Odbody. Born in the Netherlands and raised in Canada, Brandis, as a young man, became a volunteer with CUSO, the Canadian version of the Peace Corps. After two years teaching in West Kingston, Jamaica, he returned to Canada and began working with Oxfam International in their effort to aid the people of Biafra, a secessionist state trying to gain independence from Nigeria in the late 1960s. With years of humanitarian work in Africa under his belt, Brandis returned to North America and began working in the film industry, a career path that eventually landed him in Wilmington. But after many years of being a fixture in the area’s growing film community, Brandis became increasingly discontent with the work and found himself longing again to make a difference in the lives of others, outside of making movies.

“I was really just very bored with the film industry, and no one liked working with me because I really didn’t like doing it anymore,” he reveals. “You know, you don’t wanna spend all your time hanging around someone who just doesn’t want to be there. And I guess I always wanted to do this. People in the film business remember, the joke was, when they’d see me daydreaming, they’d say, ‘Oh, he’s thinking about drip irrigation in Zimbabwe.’”

Always known to friends and colleagues as an innovative and technical whiz, it was around this time in 2001 that Brandis traveled to Mali, Africa, to help a friend in the Peace Corps repair some machinery. In what would become a serendipitous moment, he made a promise to some village women to locate a machine back in the States to help them shell peanuts more efficiently, a technological advancement that would provide more food and income from the trade. So when Brandis returned to find nothing of the sort here in America, he invented one himself. The result, the Universal Nut Sheller, was the impetus for the founding of his non-profit organization, Full Belly Project, and garnered Brandis and his invention national awards and recognition, including the 2006 Popular Mechanic’s Breakthrough Award and the 2008 $100,000 Purpose Prize.

But what makes Brandis so unusual is his desire to keep his contributions and ideas public domain, a decision that he believes has the greatest impact on the greatest number of people. It’s a quality not lost on Lou Buttino. In fact, he believes it’s exactly what makes Brandis a modern-day Clarence Odbody.
“Jock’s so self-effacing, so generous of heart and so modest,” Dr. Buttino says. “It’s very rare to find all of that in somebody. I think he has the same wit as Clarence, the same sense of humor and unselfish willingness to give, and I think without saying so, he demonstrates a powerful, powerful belief that we can do better—and he’s done it. There were some really nice candidates for this year’s award, but if you’re feeding the third world, it’s hard to compete with that.”

Brandis’ work with the Full Belly Project has grown well beyond helping to feed the poor with the Universal Nut Sheller. What began as a project designed to address one specific problem has grown into a full-blown organizational think-tank and engineering firm, addressing the underdeveloped world’s biggest issues with ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness. Nearly an estimated quarter of a million children die every year due to diseases stemming from poor hygiene in school. Brandis and Full Belly invented a hand-washing system, using an oil drum, truck tire, plastic bottles, bolts and bottle caps. During an African dry season, it’s hard to irrigate props efficiently or even supply enough water to keep cattle alive. Brandis and Full Belly invented a water pump that uses a reciprocating motor built from concrete and truck inner tubes. The secret, he says, is using simple technology that can be duplicated using materials already accessible in the countries that need it the most. It’s this approach that fuels the Full Belly Project and their mission to change the lives of others through self-sustaining ingenuity.

“These pumps will go to a village; they won’t go to a family,” Brandis says. “You can basically irrigate an acre of land a day with this pump. We have a whole array of technology—we have a lot of solutions. We have fuel solutions, and we have food solutions and water pumping and drilling and purifying solutions and all kinds of stuff. I was kind of a mad inventor in the movie business, and I just learned to do really weird out-of-the-box stuff. I guess I just have a talent for it.”

Talent and dedication, and an unwavering spirit matched with big ideas and a desire for changing lives. Brandis and his colleagues at the Full Belly organization, and their partners, approach every day with a purpose to help those around the world learn to help themselves. It’s a philosophy that recognizes the importance of the human spirit and offers hope for a better life.

“Being recognized for this is really nice,” he says. “And, you know, the whole kind of Clarence idea is a nice, interesting, Christmas metaphor. So, I’m sort of flattered. When they told me, I thought, Well, that’s a nice thing. People don’t normally connect me with angels. You know, they connect me with mad scientists, but not angels.”

The Clarence Award will be presented to Jock Brandis, Sunday, December 13th, at UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium. The event will begin at 2pm with a presentation of Chip Hackler’s Two Hours in the Dark, a short film about Frank Capra, followed by the 12th annual screening of It’s a Wonderful Life. All events are free and open to the public.