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Food, Italy and Milan: Expo 2015 seeks to feed the planet

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MILAN (AP) — Milan’s Expo 2015 world’s fair has heady ambitions, the biggest of which is to devise a plan to feed the planet as it brings together 145 nations to focus on food and nutrition.

City officials hope the fair, which opens Friday for six months and is expected to attract 20 million visitors, will give Italy’s fashion and banking capital a boost in international stature. The Italian government, which has invested 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in it, wants the fair to help push Italy out of its economic doldrums. Visitors, in any case, will get to sample a bounty of Italian culinary delights.

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MILAN CHARTER

Past world’s fairs have given the world the sewing machine, the Eiffel Tower and ketchup. This one will produce the “Milan Charter,” an expert document that seeks to raise awareness about the universal right to a “healthy, safe and sufficient” food supply.

The document seeks commitments from individuals, groups and businesses to ensure food security, decrease food waste and combat hunger and obesity. Pope Francis, who agrees that food is a basic right, is speaking Friday via video at the opening of the Expo.

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MILAN GETS A FACELIFT

Milan has undergone an intensive urban renewal in anticipation of Expo 2015. A cluster of skyscrapers now rises above the city’s predominant 18th-century architecture, competing in majesty with the background of the Italian Alps. The city has cleaned up its canals, a centerpiece of Milan nightlife, added bike paths and a large public park and renovated its monumental train station.

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ARCHITECTURAL PLAYGROUND

More than 200 new buildings have been built at the Expo site north of Milan, giving some of the world’s top architects a blank slate for their creative whims. There’s just one rub: With few exceptions, all the buildings have to be removed and recycled after the fair.

Angola plans to ship its pavilion home to become a national museum. The U.S. pavilion, designed by architect James Biber, will have stacks of weathered boardwalk planks available for the highest bidder.

The challenge has attracted architectural stars such as Daniel Libeskind, who designed a coiling, copper-covered pavilion for Chinese real estate developer Vanke, and Norman Foster, who designed the United Arab Emirate’s pavilion to evoke the narrow streets of a desert city with tall, wavy walls.

Besides 53 national pavilions, there are also five corporate pavilions and nine clusters for smaller nations devoted to themes like islands, spices and rice.

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FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

Officials estimate Expo 2015 will pump 25 billion euros ($28 billion) into the economy from 2012 through 2020, nearly half of that from tourism alone, a much-needed boost for an economy that slipped back into recession last year. Culinary tourism has long been Italy’s strongpoint, and the nation’s food and wine business is expected to get the biggest lift out of Expo, according to Matteo Caroli, a management professor at Rome’s LUISS University.

Inside the Expo, Eataly founder Oscar Farinetti has created 15 regional restaurants for a culinary tour of the peninsula. The chain of high-end food emporiums/eateries already has locations in the United States, Japan and the Middle East

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CULTURE ON THE SIDE

A plethora of events will keep visitors engaged beyond Expo’s gates.

An exhibit of works by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan’s Palazzo Reale is billed as the largest Leonardo exposition ever in Italy, with over 200 works on loan from museums worldwide.

Giorgio Armani has invited VIP guests to an exclusive fashion show on the eve of Expo and opens a museum recounting the 40-year history of his fashion business. The famed La Scala opera house has announced a special Expo series that will keep it open all summer, starting with a May 1 performance of Puccini’s “Turandot” conducted by La Scala’s new chief conductor and future musical director, Riccardo Chailly.

The Prada Foundation is opening a new exhibit space designed by architect Rem Koolhaas with a bar created by director Wes Anderson, whose unique stylistic vision has come through in such films as “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Moonrise Kingdom.”

Other Italian cities are also hopping on the Expo bandwagon. In Turin, visitors can view the Holy Shroud through June 24, see a rarely exhibited self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci in the Palazzo Madama through June 2, or take in the expanded Egyptian Museum.

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Countdown to college: Six tips to help make the final college decision

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Pop the Cork! NC Wine Industry Plans for Growth

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Photo: Owl's Eye Vineyard opened in Shelby in 2007. Since then, two other wineries have opened nearby. Photo courtesy: Owl's Eye Vineyard
Photo: Owl’s Eye Vineyard opened in Shelby in 2007. Since then, two other wineries have opened nearby. Photo courtesy: Owl’s Eye Vineyard

April 29, 2015

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Although North Carolina’s craft beer gets plenty of accolades for quality and growth, the state’s wine industry is experiencing success of its own.

About 7,600 people now are employed by the industry in the Tar Heel State, and researchers at the University of North Carolina’s Greensboro campus developed a five-year plan for further growth. Marketing and tourism professor Bonnie Canziani worked on the recommendations and said North Carolina wine comes down to raising the bar for quality and consistency.

“Focus on quality in order to improve wine itself,” she said, “and then the second biggest recommendation is to focus on ways of getting North Carolina wine into the hands of more people.”

There are 400 commercial grape growers in North Carolina and at least 140 wineries, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. State officials say the North Carolina wine and grape industry generates $1.28 billion annually for the economy. The state ranks 10th in the nation for wine production, and third for wine tourism.

Wendy Wright’s family owns Owl’s Eye Vineyard and Winery in Shelby. Open since 2007, Wright said the family business has seen a growth in interest and now bottles 2,000 cases a year.

“People are generally interested in learning what North Carolina wine tastes like and seeing how that industry is developing,” she said. “North Carolina is still very young, but it’s burgeoning.”

North Carolina’s crop of scuppernongs and other muscadine grapes that grow near the coast enable wine makers to offer a wine unique to other regions. Canziani said North Carolina has a wine for every palate.

“In North Carolina, there are a lot more drinkers of sweeter wine compared to other states,” she said, “and then when you look at the Piedmont and going out towards the mountains, the whole rest of the state tends to be a little bit more of the traditional vinifera, the European-style drier wines.”

North Carolina’s Roanoke Island is home to the mother vine for scuppernong grapes. Settlers from the eastern part of the state planted cuttings in the 17th and 18th centuries.

More information is online at newsandfeatures.uncg.edu.

Stephanie Carson, Public News Service – NC
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Reel Rockin’ Adventure Awaits at the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin …

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MOREHEAD CITY, N.C., April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Anglers of all ages are in for a “reel” and “rockin'” adventure at The Crystal Coast this summer during the 57th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament — June 5-13, 2015 — in Morehead City. Since the first big catch of marlin in 1957, the annual competition hooks hundreds of professional and amateur fishermen in the sparkling waters of North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks, providing an unparalleled fishing experience and impressive payout, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes awarded.

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is known for hefty daily release prizes including $5,700 for the 57th billfish release and $2,000 each day for the first billfish released that day. Over the past 18 years, the purse has exceeded more than $1 million every year and more than $3 million donations to many local charities.

Additions to the program promise to make the tournament even more favored than before. This year’s new Level VIII, the Contender Outboard Level, grants boats access to Gamefish and Release prizes in addition to a guaranteed purse of at least, but most likely more than $10,000. The entry fee for Level VIII is $1,000, after the $2,500 entry fee for Level I.

“With more than 60 ways to win in Level I, the tournament is open to boats of all sizes. The change last year for Level I made the tournament more accessible for participants and the inclusion this year of the Outboard Level allows the diverse group of boats to compete against each other,” said Crystal Hesmer, tournament director.  

Festivities throughout the tournament include: a captain’s party, sponsored dinners, Sunday Pig Pickin’, an awards banquet with an auction, a lady angler event and concert featuring country music star James Wesley. Wesley will sing his new single, “Hooked Up,” inspired by anglers who chase blue marlin at the legendary Big Rock off the coast of Morehead City.  

“The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is one of our destination’s top signature events – not only because Morehead City is known for the most diverse fishing on the coast, but also because the beloved tournament is rooted in a rich story,” said Carol Lohr, The Crystal Coast Tourism Authority executive director.

While the Crystal Coast is known for its superior fishing, the blue marlin was not always a top contender. Blue marlin fishing was once restricted to the Gulf of Mexico because no one had ever caught a blue marlin in North Carolina’s coastal areas. Sailors from cargo ships then began spreading rumors about spotting blue marlin not too far from the shore. People brushed off these rumors, secretly wishing they were true.

Though they experienced no luck in catching any, charter members began to sight blue marlins as they ventured further offshore during summer of 1957, after receiving an offer for prize money. However, autumn came and the fishing phenomenon began when Raleigh, NC angler Jimmy Croy and Captain Bill Olsen caught a 143 pound blue marlin. The tournament’s name stems from the assumption that Olsen and Croy made their historic catch along the continental shelf known as “Big Rock.” While it was initially a secret, the Big Rock location is considered a prime spot for marlin fishing along the east coast.    

Named “Best Yachting Town” by Yachting magazine, The Crystal Coast offers year-round vacationers the freedom to spend their days exploring un-crowded coastline, dining at flip-flop friendly restaurants, shopping at boutiques filled with coastal treasures or setting sail on cruises. The South facing beaches course east and west, lending views of the dazzlingly bright sun rise to greet the day and then slip into the glistening waters for a stunning sunset. Consistently revered and acclaimed, The Crystal Coast has recently earned nods from Travel + Leisure, naming Beaufort “America’s No. 1 Town,” in addition to other notable achievements such as “Best Spring Break Destination” by Outside Magazine and “Top 25 USA Wreck Dives” by Scuba Diving.

For more information on the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, visit www.thebigrock.com or call 252.247.3575.

To experience North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, visit www.crystalcoastnc.org call (800) 786-6962. Engage with the brand socially utilizing #MyCrystalCoast via www.facebook.com/crystalcoast, @CrystalCoast_NC on Twitter and @thecrystalcoast on Instagram.

For More Media Information:
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The Zimmerman Agency • 850.668.2222
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SOURCE North Carolina’s Crystal Coast

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Daniel Seidemann: A realistic voice in Jerusalem’s sea of conflict

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CHARLOTTE, N.C, April 30, 2015 – When Daniel Seidemann speaks, everybody listens – intently. What the world needs now, other than “love sweet love” is more commentary from Mr. Seidemann and much larger audiences.

Daniel Seidemann just may be the most knowledgeable person in the world on the subject of Jerusalem and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict whom you never heard of. Though he was born in the United States, Seidemann is Israeli by choice and an unabashed Zionist who makes no apologies for his beliefs.

As director of Terrestrial Jerusalem, a non-governmental organization he founded in 2010, Seidemann understands better than anyone that his home city of Jerusalem is a key piece to a solution “acceptable to all sides” of the Israeli/Palestinian issue.

As a reserve major in the Israeli army and an attorney, Seidemann may seem like a walking contradiction when he talks of a two-state solution and the need to slow the surge of Israeli settlements in and around Jerusalem.

Speaking to the New Jersey Jewish News, the 61-year-old Jewish patriot minced no words (he never does) when he said, “I am a reserve major in the Israeli army so it is really hard for me take a condescending attitude from an armchair Zionist who lives in the U.S. The least you owe me is a civil and respectful conversation; if not, you are one of those creeps willing to fight to our last drop of blood.”

Seidemann has spent the better part of the last two decades studying the nuances of Jerusalem, a Rubik’s Cube city of history, antiquity, culture and religion. It, like the rest of the Middle East, is frequently afire in a burning sea of controversy, but unlike most who speak of the conflicts in the region, Daniel Seidemann understands it far better than most.

Seidemann explains the situation with a metaphor. “The quip in Hebrew,” he says, “is ‘everyone pisses in the swimming pool. Not everyone does it from the diving board.’ What we’ve been watching in the last year is an unprecedented surge in settlement activities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pissing from the high board, and what we hear from D.C. is, ‘hey, there is a light rain.’”

Those words not only sum up the role Jerusalem plays in the process to resolve the schism between Israel and Palestine, but are also quintessential Seidemann.

Seidemann is not a flag-burning, soap-box spouting talking head who can be seen on a regular basis on Sunday morning news programs. His work is far more productive, which is done primarily in the behind-the-scenes anonymity of speaking with officials who have enough clout to make something happen.

Todd Deatherage, a member of the State Department during the tenure of Condoleeza Rice, says, “If you work in the United States government on Jerusalem, you will encounter Danny.” In other words, Seidemann just may be the most influential person you probably never heard of.

Some say he has more access than any non-government official in Washington.

The key is Seidemann’s blunt honesty. What Daniel Seidemann says he means, and when he says it, it is the truth. A rare commodity in the nation’s capital these days. “What makes him so interesting is that he’s a deeply committed patriot with and understanding that the Israel – the Jerusalem – he wants is predicated on two national groups and three faith communities coming to accommodation who all have legitimate claims. And he does that (with an eye) to current contemporary geopolitical Jerusalem and a sense of history,” adds Deatherage.

Seidemann describes Jerusalem as slogging along within the layers of history that have made it a melting pot of three major religions. If you witness it on a daily basis, despite differences and centuries of conflict, when not influenced by the ignorance of outside forces, it somehow manages to find a way to work.

One of the primary areas of conflict is called E1, the land connecting Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maaleh Adunim.

Seidemann explained its significance to the New Jersey Jewish News this way: “A two-state solution is going to take place inside of Jerusalem or not take place at all. We will head for a politically divided city: parts of Jerusalem will be Palestinian, parts of Jerusalem will be Israeli. That is the sine qua non of any agreement.… For that to happen, I have to be able to draw a line on a map which will carve out a viable Palestinian city and leave an equally or more viable Israeli city in its wake. I have to be able to draw a line that will allow every Israeli to go home at night, including in what are now settler neighborhoods that will be incorporated, without crossing an international boundary, and allow every Palestinian to go home or visit a mosque without seeing an Israeli policeman.”

Seidemann sums it up saying, “Treat the de facto borders as political ones and you have achieved 95 percent of the solution in Jerusalem.”

Daniel Seidemann is as complex as the city and the region in which he lives, but most of all he is honest, blunt and realistic. We can only hope somebody, anybody, eventually chooses his wisdom over politics.

Bob Taylor has been traveling the world for more than 30 years as a writer and award winning television producer focusing on international events, people and cultures around the globe.

Taylor is founder of the Magellan Travel Club (www.MagellanTravelClub.com)

Read more of What in the World and Bob Taylor at Communities Digital News

Follow Bob on Twitter @MrPeabod

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National Park Tourism in North Carolina Creates $1533.9 million in Economic …

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Posted: Thursday, April 30, 2015 11:00 am

National Park Tourism in North Carolina Creates $1,533.9 million in Economic Benefit

New report shows visitor spending supports over 18,520 jobs in North Carolina

Atlanta – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 16,710,760 visitors to national parks in North Carolina spent $1,102.6 million in the state in 2014. That spending resulted in 18,528 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $1,533.9 million.

“The national parks of North Carolina attract visitors from across the country and around the world,” said regional director Stan Austin. “Whether visitors come to explore the natural and cultural attractions along the Outer Banks, or enjoy the poetic pursuits of Carl Sandburg with a visit to his home, visitors come to have a great experience, and end up having an economic benefit to the communities they visit. This new report shows that national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy – returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service – and a big factor in our state’s economy as well, a result we can all support.”

The national park sites in North Carolina are: Blue Ridge Parkway, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape lookout National Seashore, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Moores Creek National Battlefield, and Wright Brothers National Memorial.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz. The report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors occurred in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 277,000 jobs nationally; 235,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $29.7 billion.

According to the 2014 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (30.6 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.3 percent), gas and oil (11.9 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.9 percent).

To download the report visit http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm.

The report includes information for visitor spending by park and by state.

To learn more about national parks in North Carolina and how the National Park Service works with North Carolina’s communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/Northcarolina

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Sandy Selvy-Mullis is publisher of The Stanly News Press.  Contact her at (704) 982-2121 ext. 27, sselvy@cnhi.com or PO Box 488, Albemarle, NC 28002.


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One Tank Trip: Thomas County

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THOMAS CO., Ga. (WTXL) – It’s a slice of small town Americana, and just across the Florida-Georgia border lies Thomas County. It has a population of about 45,000 and was established in 1825. Known for it’s quail hunting during the Resort Era in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the main city of Thomasville is now a bustling small town with southern charm.

“Our downtown is just a destination definitely for visitors,” said Karen Smith, the Executive Director of Main Street and Tourism for Thomas County. “They love to come and dine and shop. There’s over 16 locations to pick from to dine at and they are all just wonderful, and then our downtown is full of great shopping. There’s something for everybody down there.”

But you can’t drive into Thomasville without stopping to smell the roses. There are nearly 4,500 of them in several rose beds throughout the Rose City. The popularity of the beautiful buds started in 1920 with a small rose show and a $50 investment.

“This is definitely one of the hot sports for visitors to our city is they love to come to the rose garden,” says Smith. “It’s over 5 acres, you really don’t realize how big it is, and there are over 1,500 roses here. The goal is to have 8,000 roses throughout the city over the next 5 years.”

There’s a lot of history and heritage in Thomas County, and it’s something the Thomas County Historical Society wanted to preserve.

They opened the Thomas County Museum of History in 1972. The society and curators like Ephraim Rotter have been giving tours and sharing the area’s history ever since.

“This is the 1923 Flowers-Roberts house, the original builder was Joseph Hampton Flowers, he was the founder of Flowers Baking Company,” explained Rotter. “He lived here until 1941 when the house was sold to Fritz Roberts. The Roberts family owned Sunnyland Packing Company, which for many years, was the largest employer in Thomasville.”

The rooms of the house now contain exhibits, as does the Davis wing, added in 1991, which expanded the museum a couple thousand extra feet. It features timeline style exhibits starting with native American and pre-European history and wraps around in decades and ends in 1970.

Built in 1896, the Thomas County Museum of History is believed to have the third oldest standing bowling alley in the U.S. And the best part? Its still in use.

According to Ephraim, “There’s only two older ones, one in Rhode Island and the other at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. Ours, built in 1896, is the third oldest one, but we still go bowling in there everyday.”

Along with the museum building and the bowling alley, the property also contains a 19th century log house, courthouse and early 20th century vehicles, all from towns within Thomas County.

The 1870 log house, moved in the 1970s from just outside Coolidge, was home to a husband, wife and 13 kids. And the 1892 Metcalf Courthouse portrays the old method of voting, where people just dropped a piece of paper in one of two boxes, in front of everyone else.

While museums have seen a setback with the invention and the democratization of the web, Rotter says there’s just something special about going into their smaller museum and taking a step back in time.

“One of the things is we tend to be a little more laid back about the museum rules that we are all familiar with from growing up,” said Rotter. “We don’t necessary encourage people to touch things, but if you walk by and see this dress and you are just dying to touch it, it’s okay, no one will yell at you. You want to bowl in our bowling alley, go ahead.”

It’s one of many features that makes Thomas County a popular ‘One Tank Trip’ day getaway for visitors.

Video coming soon. Check back with www.wtxl.tv.

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House approves weak school calendar bill

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By Laura Leslie

Raleigh, N.C. — House lawmakers voted Wednesday night to give school districts the same calendar flexibility they already have.

House Bill 164 gives districts the ability to spread out the state’s requirement of 1,025 hours of classroom instruction per year over fewer than 185 days. It also includes a study of school calendar policy.

“This would allow the option for local school boards to be able to get their exams in before winter break,” said sponsor Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett. “This is an optional thing. The school boards don’t have to do this if they don’t choose to.”

But school districts can already do that, and some are, critics pointed out.

“You’re just as well to send nothing over to [the Senate] because every single power that’s in there is already in place for every school system in the state. It does nothing,” protested Rep. Bryan Holloway, R-Stokes. “This is no new flexibility.”

Rep. Tricia Cotham, D-Mecklenburg, tried unsuccessfully to change the bill to return control over school calendars to local school boards.

“I think that’s what’s best for education,” Cotham said, noting that the school calendar fight has been going on for years.

The state legislature took control of school calendars in 2004, a move that was largely prompted by the tourism industry’s concerns about school starting dates creeping earlier every year.

But Lewis warned that Senate leaders wouldn’t consider that change at all.

“The other chamber has indicated no desire whatsoever to move on the start or stop date for the school year,” he said. “This is the art of the possible.”

Rep. Marvin Lucas, D-Cumberland, argued the House shouldn’t “kowtow to” the Senate, but Rep. Linda Johnson, R-Cabarrus, said lawmakers need to “do something” about the problem.

The bill passed 83-34 and is now headed for the Senate.

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3-star DT Christian Colon buys Robert Washington’s vision for future of …

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Syracuse, N.Y. — Robert Washington is hitting the recruiting trail hard for Syracuse.

Since verbally committing to the Orange on Saturday, the four-star running back has been reaching out to other highly touted recruits he’s close with and pitching his vision for SU — a program turnaround reminiscent of Miami’s in the 1980s.

“The U wasn’t good at all, but then they took a couple friends from the neighborhood,” Washington said in an interview on Sunday. “All of the sudden they’re going to national championships. It just takes a couple guys to change it. “

Thus far, he’s grabbed the attention of four-star defensive back Jared Mayden, three-star athlete Moe Neal and his cousin, Class of 2017 defensive back Aapri Washington.

Next on the list: three-star defensive tackle Christian Colon.

The 6-foot-3, 325-pound Colon said he’s heard from Washington and SU running backs coach DeAndre Smith since the weekend, and he can envision being part of Washington’s plan.

“I’m cool with it,” Colon said in a phone interview Wednesday night. “I’d do it. It’s just getting other players to do it. I’d love to do it. But at this time in my recruitment, I’m not ready to commit yet.”

Colon, who played with Washington at SouthLake Christian (Huntersville, N.C.) Academy as a freshman before transferring to Independence (Charlotte, N.C.) High School for the last two seasons, is listed as the No. 52 defensive tackle in the country by 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. He was offered by the Orange last week and is also considering scholarship offers from Penn State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, North Carolina, UCLA and Mississippi State, among others, according to 247Sports.com.

Colon has visited Penn State, North Carolina, LSU and Tennessee this spring, he said, and has been in recent contact with Alabama, LSU, Oregon and Ohio State.

But he’s not sold on just being another number.

“I’m trying to do something special with my recruitment,” Colon said.

The opportunity to potentially play with both Washingtons and Neal, a trio he’s known since middle school, would fit the bill.

Colon said he met Robert Washington at a camp during the summer leading into 7th grade. Washington won Offensive MVP. Colon won Defensive MVP.

They went to separate middle schools, but teamed up again on USA Football in eighth grade and for one season at SouthLake Christian.

“We’ve just been real close,” Colon said “… It’s real big potentially playing with him (in college). He brings so much to the table offensively.”

Colon recorded 53 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble in his lone season at SouthLake Christian, according to MaxPreps.com. As a sophomore at Independence, he finished with 74 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, per MaxPreps.com. His junior year statistics were not available.

For now, Colon wants to take his time with his recruitment. He made it clear that he plans to explore all of his options and will not commit to a school without visiting.

He said that he values the relationship he has with a coaching staff, the passion of the fan base and the environment at the home stadium.

When Washington comes up to visit Syracuse next, Colon plans on joining him.

“Something is going to happen, it’s in the making,” Colon said. “Robert’s probably going up one more time before his official.”

Colon said he’ll monitor the Orange’s 2016 recruiting class through the coming months. With other high-profile names like Dwayne Haskins, a star quarterback at The Bullis (Potomac, Md.) School, being thrown around, it’s possible Washington’s initial domino could spark a historic class.

Said Colon: “If Moe (Neal) commits, I’d really have to look at Syracuse because I grew up playing with Moe as well. Those guys are really my brothers.”

Contact Stephen Bailey anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-427-2168

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Easy Escapes | History, golf at home in N.C. Sandhills towns

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Like jewels planted in the sandy terrain of the North Carolina Sandhills, the towns of Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Aberdeen shine with attractions for the traveler. This trio of towns sits conveniently in the middle of the state with easy access.

Expect the unexpected in the history of each town. Southern Pines was first built around the social gatherings of great literary figures; Pinehurst was envisioned as a healing respite for consumptives; Aberdeen’s Scottish settlers carved a living out of timber and turpentine.

Today, and for the past 120 years, Pinehurst has been synonymous with golf. Much of its land has been transformed into world-class golf courses under the guidance of legendary designers, beginning with Donald Ross and including Tom Fazio, Rees Jones and Ellis Maples. For the first time in USGA history, the U.S. Open® and the U.S. Women’s Open® championships were held on the same golf course, Pinehurst No. 2, in 2014.

Meet on the green to prove your best, unwind with a visit to the Forbes Four Star spa, dine in one of seven restaurants, including the 1895 Grille and relax at Pinehurst Resort’s Carolina Hotel or Holly Inn. The Village of Pinehurst also offers the historic Magnolia Inn. Check out dining at Theos Taverna, Drum Quill Pub and Dugan’s. Save time to visit the Given Library/Tufts Archives for fascinating background on the area.

Southern Pines is the quintessential friendly, southern town, overflowing with art, music and great food. Its unceasing charm includes the train that still comes through the center of downtown. If you’re fortunate enough to stay at The Jefferson Inn, the only downtown lodging, a train ride might make for the perfect entrance into town.

Must sees here are the Weymouth Center and Gardens, the magnificent former home of author James Boyd and home to the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame and the Campbell House art galleries. Join the locals at the popular Sunrise Theater for a concert or film. Dining ranges from scrumptious breakfast or lunch at Betsy’s Crepes to the culinary wonders of Ashten’s, Rhett’s and Chef Warren’s Bistro.

Aberdeen is, and always has been, a railroad town. Make sure to stop in at the Union Station Railroad Museum. The town’s own thriving art community is on display all over town. Stop by The Bakehouse for lunch, or take a treat to the town’s beautiful Lake Park.

Shopping takes on new heights in the Sandhills with everything from antiques to luxury home goods, jewelry, fine clothing, books and outdoor gear.

This is glorious horse country. Equine lovers can find every landscape and amenity for riding and driving. Many other activities such as tennis, kayaking, canoeing, cycling and hiking are also popular in this area. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the exquisite Sandhills Horticultural Gardens or the oldest living Longleaf Pine tree in the world in Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve.

Upcoming events

▪ Concours D’Elegance, Pinehurst Resort, Saturday | This third annual event will take place where the best of golf will meet the best of the automobile, while honoring some of the United States’ bravest men and women at Fort Bragg. Featuring 119 of the most historic automobiles and motorcycles from around the world. www.pinehurstconcours.com.

▪ Spring Cameron Antiques Fair, Historic District of Cameron, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday | More than 300 dealers display their antiques and collectibles in their village shops and along streets in the Historic District of Cameron. Food vendors. www.antiquesofcameron.com.

▪ U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, Pinehurst Resort, Village of Pinehurst, July 30-Aug. 1 | U.S. Kids Golf hosts its World Championship on three of Pinehurst’s renowned layouts and six additional area courses. Annually, more than 1,400 kids from around the world, ages 12 and under, converge here to vie for the championship. http://tinyurl.com/qjanjdx.

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