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Political Happy Hour: March 25, 2015

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Here’s your afternoon handle of politics, from Joshua Miller of the Boston Globe. Cheers!

JOE BIDEN RECALLS TED KENNEDY AS MENTOR, from the vice president ahead of Monday’s formal dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate: “I would not be vice president, and I would not have been a United States senator, but for Ted Kennedy. …” http://bit.ly/1GmNcti

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TICK TOCK, via Matthew Lee of the Associated Press: “With an end-of-March deadline days away, Secretary of State John Kerry is heading back into negotiations with Iran, hoping to seal a framework deal to roll back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Kerry was flying to Switzerland for several days of make-or-break talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The top diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia would join if the U.S. and Iran are close to an agreement. …” http://apne.ws/1y7cC7d

THE GAMES, THE JUICE, via Lauren Dezenski of the Dorchester Reporter: “The Games are on for Mayor Martin Walsh’s political team. His ‘super volunteers’ are being prepared to move onto the field under the Boston 2024 banner to engage in an extended grassroots campaign … Some 75 members of Team Walsh, joined by reporters and camera crews, assembled at Florian Hall on Tuesday evening to get their marching orders in a setting of sandwiches, fruit, and a cash bar. …” http://bit.ly/1BMrDfd

THIS IS UNUSUAL — HACKERS AGAIN DISRUPT MAINE WEBSITES, via the Associated Press in Bangor, Maine: “A group of online hackers is turning its attention to Maine news, tourism and city websites after two days of attacking the state’s Maine.gov site. …” Link via MPBN: http://bit.ly/18XvaAD










NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS, BUT I LOVED THIS LEDE, every clause of it, via Matt Byrne of the Portland Press Herald: “Real L’Heureux, the 91-year-old World War II veteran who broke out of a locked memory-care facility Tuesday to be with his girlfriend, returned to the facility Wednesday morning, his girlfriend said. …” http://bit.ly/1xzhRC9

LUCK, WITH A PUBLIC TWIST, DEPARTMENT, via Alan Blinder of the New York Times in Raleigh, N.C.: “If you are lucky enough to win the lottery here, there is one thing you are virtually certain to lose: your privacy. Like most of the 44 states with lotteries, North Carolina considers the identities of winners of large prizes to be a matter of public record. …” http://nyti.ms/1CaURbd

MARATHON BOMBING TRIAL LATEST, via BostonGlobe.com: http://bit.ly/1BqwcM8

YOUR MBTA-DELAY LONG READ, with the great headline “What If Sarah Palin Were a Brain Surgeon?” via GQ’s Jason Zengerle on former pediatric neurosurgeon and probable GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson: “… ‘In the United States, we have Republicans, Democrats, and independents. What do you have?’ Carson asked … in the first-class lounge at the Newark airport, waiting for a flight to Tel Aviv. … [A]s Carson sat across from the young Israeli woman who’d be his guide, he was getting a head start on what he called his own ‘fact-finding mission.’ The more basic the facts, the better. The woman answered Carson’s question about political parties, telling him that there were Labor and Likud and a host of other factions in the Knesset. ‘And what is the role of the Knesset?’ he interjected. This prompted a tutorial on Israel’s legislature. … As he tried to concentrate on his Hebrew Schoolhouse Rock primer, he seemed even more fatigued. ‘It sounds complex,’ he finally said. ‘Why don’t they just adopt the system we have?’ …” http://gqm.ag/1Ow7Sm3

MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD DEPARTMENT, via KOMO with a Fife, Wash. dateline: “Troopers don’t always stop people in the HOV lanes, but when they do, they prefer ‘dos’ passengers. A motorcycle trooper … spotted a driver and rather unusual ‘passenger’ pass by him in the HOV lane … The trooper pulled the driver over and discovered the ‘passenger’ was none other than a cardboard cutout of the actor who portrays ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World’ in beer advertisements. … The [cutout] was not confiscated, but the driver … got a $124 fine.” http://is.gd/7cZLaN

I don’t always make references to booze, but when I do, it’s often in a daily newsletter about politics, which you can sign up for here.

You can also email me at joshua.miller@globe.com and tweet at me, @jm_bos

Joshua Miller can be reached at joshua.miller@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jm_bos.

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Community News from York, Chester and Lancaster counties – March 26, 2015

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Kick off “Autism Awareness Month” in April with a blue breakfast 8-10:30 a.m. Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church, 426 Oakland Ave., Rock Hill.

On the menu are blue corn grits, and city chefs will serve up some bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuits and special blue sawmill sausage gravy. Also available are blue pancakes, blueberry muffins and other blue delicacies. Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for children.

Children can decorate their pancakes with fun toppings, and there will be games and entertainment. To volunteer or for information, call Charlie Presler at 803-984-3153.

Special events

▪ The Rock Hill Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta will host Jabberwock 2015 “Unforgettable,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday March 28 at Dutchman Creek Middle School.

The event is a biannual scholarship pageant to raise money for scholarships and programming in York County. The program also recognizes the scholarship and extracurricular achievements of the contestants.

Three elementary-school girls will compete for the title of Miss Delta Doll, and eight high school students will compete for the title of Miss Jabberwock. The event is free and open to the public.

▪ The town of Clover will host its sixth annual Easter egg hunt, 6-8 p.m. April 2 on Memorial Drive. The egg hunt will begin at 7 p.m. for age groups: 2-4, 5-8 and 9-11.

The first hour will include kids’ inflatables, games, music, snacks and refreshments. The Easter Bunny also will make an appearance for pictures. Rain or shine. Register children to get a ticket for free popcorn.

For information go to www.cloversc.org. To volunteer, call Amy Gonzalez at 803-222-9493.

▪ York Parks and Recreation Department and Bi-Lo will host an Easter egg hunt at 6:30 p.m. April 2 at at the York Recreation Complex, 74 Fourth St. The event is free for children 12 and younger. Bring an Easter basket. Bi-Lo will serve hot dogs, with all proceeds going to York Place. For information, call 803-684-3742.

▪ Master’s Car Club will have its spring Show and Shine, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Burns Chevrolet Cadillac, 2515 Cherry Road. Registration is free. There will be free hot dogs and drinks, door prizes and more. For information, go to masterscarclub.com.

Fundraiser

▪ Kings Mountain Chapel United Methodist Church will host a barbecue 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the church, 1130 Philbeck Road, York. Plates are $8. Dine-in or takeout.

Entertainment

▪ Gene Barban, retired Winthrop University professor of music, will give a piano recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Byrnes Auditorium. He will play Chopin and other selections. The concert is free and open to the public.

▪ The Moon Flute Quartet will present a chamber music concert, 3-4:15 p.m. Saturday at the Cultural Arts Center of Lancaster County, 301 W. Gay St. Admission and parking are free. Donations accepted for the Lancaster County Historical Society and the Lancaster County Council for the Arts.

Meetings

▪ Clemson Extension Agent Paul Thompson will talk about flowering vines at the First Friday in the Garden, 11 a.m. April 3 at the Glencairn Learning Center, 825 Edgemont Ave., Rock Hill. Free and open to the public.

▪ Indian Land VFW will meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at 8083 Charlotte Highway. Potential new members should arrive at 9 a.m. Veterans bring DD214. For information, contact John Marker at 704-843-6930 or email jmarker@carolina.cc.com.

▪ Col. William Bratton Chapter Sons of the American Revolution will meet at 10 a.m. April 11 at the Fort Mill VFW Post 9138, 1442 Harris Road, Fort Mill.

Daniel Woodruff, president of S.C. Society of SAR and Bob Krause, color guard commander, will speak on “Weapons of the Revolutionary War” and provide a live demonstration of the long rifles used to defeat the British army. Open to the public.

Members of the chapter and the S.C. State genealogist will be on hand for those who would like to trace their Revolutionary War family history and consider joining the chapter.

▪ The Rock Hill branch of the NAACP general meeting will be 9 a.m. Saturday at Bannon Hall across from St. Mary Catholic Church, 902 Crawford Road. For information, call Sandra Oborokumo at 803-325-2855.

▪ United States Submarine Veterans, Carolina Piedmont Base will meet 7 p.m. Saturday at Fort Mill VFW, 1442 Harris Road. Social and dinner at 5:30 p.m. For information, call John Wardean at 803-323-9130.

Library programs

▪ The York County Library will host the following programs:

Identity Theft Protection, 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday at the main library in Rock Hill (register at 803-981-5845) and 10-11:30 a.m. Friday at the Fort Mill library (register at 803-547-4114). Learn to protect yourself from identity theft, the fastest growing crime in the nation. Free workbooks will be provided for participants by Money Management International, a full-service, nonprofit credit counseling agency.

Local author Jean C. Wheeler will read from her second book “Search for Reality” and discuss her year of training at Greystone Psychiatric Hospital and her work with psychotic patients, 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the main library, Rock Hill. Books will be for sale at the program and may be signed. Register at 803-981-5845 or go to www.yclibrary.org.

YMCA

▪ An Engineering for Kids class for ages 4-8 will be 4:15-5:15 p.m. Thursdays, April 9-30 at the Charlotte Avenue branch YMCA. The class will introduce students to the fundamental concepts of solids, liquids and solutions. Participants will make their own samples of bubbles, play dough and more. Cost is $50 for members and $65 for nonmembers. For information, email karenisaac@upymca.org.

Summer camps

Registration is being taken for Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism summer camps. For information, go to cityofrockhill.com/prtcamps.

Camps include:

▪ CRAVE Fun in the Sun Summer Camp, ages 6-13, June 15-Aug. 7 at Emmett Scott Center. Details: 803-329-5661

▪ Discovery Quest Summer Camp, ages 6-12, June 8-Aug. 14 at Fewell Park Center. Details: 803-329-5645

▪ Nature Navigators, ages 5-11, meets various locations Tuesday mornings. Details: 803-322-3134

▪ Soccer Summer Camp, June 29-July 2 at Manchester Meadows. Details: 803-326-3792

▪ Tennis Summer Camp, four weeklong sessions at the Rock Hill Tennis Center. Campers can attend individual days. Details: 803-326-3842

▪ Camp Arc is a mainstreamed camp for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Kinder Arc serves children ages 3-5 with intellectual disabilities. Details: 803-329-5652.

Recreation

▪ Goombay Inc. will host an open practice for its kickball league at 3 p.m. Sunday at Confederate Park in Rock Hill. The season starts April 12. The league is for ages 18 and older. For information, call James Thompson at 803-487-2468 or email Jadentoot30@yahoo.com.

Enrollment

▪ The Children’s School at Sylvia Circle is enrolling 3K and 4K for the 2015-2016 school year. Enrollment packets are available at the school, 929 Sylvia Circle, Rock Hill.

The Children’s School is the only public Montessori School in Rock Hill School District 3 and offers a half-day 3K early childhood program. Families can tour the school by appointment. For information, call 803-981-1380.

▪ Carolina Community Actions Head Start is accepting applications for children ages 3-4 in York and Chester counties for the 2015-16 year. Head Start serves low-income families and children with disabilities. For information, call 803-366-5398.

Classes

▪ “I Am for the Child” – free child advocacy volunteer training – will be 8-9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays beginning Monday at BTC Building, Suite 400, 454 S. Anderson Road, Rock Hill. Volunteer guardian ad litem training will be in May. For information on either program, contact Wendi Smith, county coordinator, at 803-327-9997 or email galyork@oepp.gov.

Scholarships

▪ Application deadline for the Lannie Love Educational Scholarship from the Master Gardeners of York County is April 3. The $500 scholarship is open to any senior graduating from high school in York, Chester or Lancaster counties who intends to pursue higher education in horticulture, agriculture, landscape design, turf management, botany, greenhouse management or land management.

The application can be downloaded at yorkmg.org/scholarship, The scholarship is in honor of the late Lannie Love of Clover, a retired educator, avid gardener and former president of MGYC.

For information, contact Jed Bryan at 803-327-2281 or email jedbryan64@yahoo.com.

Contest

▪ The York Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring a photography contest for York County students from kindergarten to college age.

Student amateur photographers may enter up to five photos. Entries must be digital and submitted by email along with a release form. Deadline is April 17.

Photo categories are water and land, habitats and wildlife, and agriculture across America.

Rules and entry forms are available by calling 803-684-3137, ext 101, or email Barbara.oconnell@sc.nacdnet.net.

At least one first prize of a $25 gift card will be awarded in each of the three photo categories and each of these age groups: grade K-5, grade 6-8, grade 9-12, college age 18-22.

Tax help

▪ The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program will offer free tax-preparation assistance 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through April 15 at the Rock Hill City Hall Wellness Center. Volunteers are IRS certified and trained by the S.C. and N.C. departments of revenue. Tax returns are electronically filed.

Bring current year’s tax forms, W-2 and 1099s, information regarding other income, information for all deductions and credits, a copy of last year’s tax return, proof of account for direct deposit of refund (e.g., voided check), Social Security or individual taxpayer identification cards, proof of identification.

▪ Free federal and state tax preparation for low- and moderate-income taxpayers and those 60 and older will be offered 12:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays through April 9 at the Adult Education Center at the Flexible Learning Center, 1234 Flint St. Ext., Rock Hill.

Bring a copy of last year’s tax return, Social Security card, picture identification and any W-2s, 1099s and other forms showing income or deductions. No appointment needed. Filings completed on a first-come basis.

▪ AARP Tax-Aide Program offers free federal and state income tax preparation 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 14 at the Fort Mill branch of the York County Library in Baxter Village. Clients taken on first-come basis. Last client taken at 3:30 p.m. No age or income limit. Limited appointments can be scheduled at calendly.com/fortmilltaxes. Bring 2014 tax return, picture IDs, Social Security cards for all being claimed, 1099s, 1098s, 1095A forms, W-2s and any other proof of deductions or income. For information, email FortMillTaxes@gmail.com

Blood drive

▪ Piedmont Medical Center and Carolina Blood Center of the Carolinas will host at March Madness-themed blood drive, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday in the Women’s Tower Auditorium at Piedmont on Herlong Avenue. The event includes pet therapy dogs, basketball-related games and popcorn. Appointments are encouraged but not required. For information, go to www.cbcc.cus or call Susan Hagy at 980-214-0831.

Health

▪ North Central Family Medical Center, 1131 Saluda St., Rock Hill, will have special enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, 9 a.m.-noon Friday and April 10 and 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. April 25.

Volunteers

▪ The nonprofit Friends of the York County Animal Shelter needs volunteers to help bathe, groom, exercise, socialize, train and provide adoption information for the animals, as well as assist in follow-ups, publicity, marketing and fulfilling other jobs at the shelter. Time and mileage may be tax deductible. Volunteers must be 18 or older; orientation and training are required. For information, call 803-818-6485 or go to the shelter at 713 Justice Blvd., York.

Reunions

▪ Former Hillcrest Elementary School students will meet 11 a.m. April 11 at Foundation AME Zion Church, Neely Store Road, Rock Hill, to plan a reunion. Bring pictures of former Hillcrest teachers.

▪ The Rock Hill High School class of 1954 will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday at Golden Corral, Anderson Road. Members, friends and relatives invited.

▪ Rock Hill High School class of 1960 will host its 55th reunion, 3-8 p.m. May 23 at Elks Park with a catered dinner. Reservations are due May 1. For information, call 803-324-9982.

Support groups

▪ Grief Share, a group open to all who are grieving the loss of a loved one, will meet 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursdays through May 28 at the family life center at Grace Nazarene Church, 1029 Mount Gallant Road, a block from Cherry Road. For information, call Bill at 803-517-6177 or email wmstroud@comporium.net

▪ Alateen meets 8-9 p.m. Thursdays at Zoar Road Club, 14701 Thomas Road, Charlotte. Meetings are for two age groups: 6-12 and 13 and older. For information, call 803-547-2124 or 704-904-7834.

▪ Al-Anon meets at 8 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at Serenity Club, 209 Grayson Road, Rock Hill; at noon Tuesdays upstairs at Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church, 421 Oakland Ave., Rock Hill; at 8 p.m. Mondays at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2955 S.C. 160, Fort Mill; and at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in the house beside First Baptist Church, 121 Monroe White St., Fort Mill.

Send Community News items to communitynews@heraldonline.com or to 132 W. Main St., Rock Hill, SC 29730. Deadline for the Thursday column is 5p.m. Monday. Deadline for the Sunday column is 5 p.m. Wednesday.

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NC House OKs historic preservation tax credits

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The N.C. House voted 96-18 Wednesday in favor of restore a tax credit for historic preservation projects, despite a few objections from Republicans.

A final vote is Thursday.

House Bill 152 would create a scaled-back version of the tax credit, which expired at the beginning of the year as part of a Republican-led tax reform effort. The new credits would pay property owners less than the original program, with an expected annual cost to the state of $8 million. The available credit would be larger in the state’s poorest counties.

Gov. Pat McCrory has made the program a major legislative priority this session.

“This is a huge economic boon for the state of North Carolina, and we can see it in all our communities as we travel around,” said Rep. Stephen Ross, a Burlington Republican and the sponsor of the bill.

Fuquay-Varina Mayor John Byrne said Wednesday “there’s some good common sense” to restore the credits. He renovated historic buildings in downtown Fuquay-Varina after receiving thousands of dollars in tax credits.

“All the money goes into helping towns and counties in North Carolina,” he said. “So it’s not like the money goes somewhere else. It’s invested right back into dilapidated properties, or you’re extending the life of a property where there’s already infrastructure.”

Byrne, the mayor since 2001, began buying and renovating historic buildings in 1992. Those included a hotel and a palatial home on Main Street, which he turned into the Ben Wiley Apartments and the Fuquay Mineral Spring Inn and Garden, respectively.

Susan Kluttz, secretary of Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, visited Fuquay-Varina and Apex earlier this year to see how the towns had taken advantage of the historic tax credit program.

Opponents of the program say lower tax rates across the board are a better way to expand the economy. But Ross said a legislative study found that the historic credits have generated 2.5 times as many jobs as an across-the-board tax cut with the same cost.

Byrne added that the credits only are available to rent-producing projects, such as shops or apartments, not just homeowners restoring a building. He cited downtown Durham’s success in fixing buildings with the assistance of the tax credits, which have generated shops, restaurants and tourism.

“You have to create income,” said Byrne, who said he spoke to McCrory at the recent North Carolina Main Street conference about the tax credit program. “You know, it’s not a giveaway program.”

Because renovating a historic building is more costly than new construction, Ross said the projects likely won’t happen without the tax credit.

“That would be a huge lost opportunity, especially for economically depressed small towns that are rich in history but low in wealth,” Ross said.

Rep. Jeff Collins, a Rocky Mount Republican, said he can’t support the proposal unless local governments are required to match the credits.

“I don’t see any local commitment here, and that’s always really bothered me,” he said.

Rep. Bert Jones, a Reidsville Republican, also opposed the bill because he said poorer communities would be better off with a grant program that allows them to choose what projects would benefit them.

Byrne said programs already are in place at the county level for restoring landmark buildings that require a town match.

The bill faces a challenge in the Senate.

Will Doran contributed to this report.

Campbell: 919-829-4698;

Twitter: @RaleighReporter

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Coming artisan trail in Northern Neck expected to help boost tourism, sales by …

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Coming artisan trail in Northern Neck expected to help boost tourism, sales by members

FILE/THE FREE LANCE–STAR

Coming artisan trail in Northern Neck expected to help boost tourism, sales by members

A new artisan trail now coming together in the Northern Neck will include people like Andy Pitts of Heathsville, who makes and sells fine furniture in a home workshop.



More Information

“WE THINK WE CAN CARVE OUT SOME INTERESTING AGRI-TOURISM ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD WORK PERFECTLY WITH A TRAIL LIKE THIS.” KANE LLOYD, WESTMORELAND BERRY FARM

Posted: Thursday, March 26, 2015 12:00 am

Coming artisan trail in Northern Neck expected to help boost tourism, sales by members

BY ROB HEDELT/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Fredericksburg.com

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BY next spring, people planning to visit the Northern Neck or simply searching for an interesting outing should have a new resource to make travel there more memorable.

The Artisan Trail Network is essentially a constantly updated online map of artists, artisans, historic sites, galleries, restaurants, recreational spots and farms that offer agri-tourism opportunities in the Northern Neck.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015 12:00 am.


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Northern Neck Artisan Trail,



Westmoreland County,



King George County

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McCrory slams Senate sales tax bill

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Gov. Pat McCrory came out strongly opposed to the Senate’s sales tax redistribution plan on Wednesday.

McCrory told a gathering of university officials at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh that the proposal “will cause great harm to the economic engines of this state.”

“It will raise taxes on millions of citizens and job-creators throughout the state. We cannot afford to have this bill passed in North Carolina. It will cause harm.

“It will also decimate the travel and tourism industry in the west, in our cities, and on the coastal beach areas that are dependent upon sales tax revenue, because they’ve made the investment in the infrastructure to bring travel and tourism to their towns.”

Senate Bill 369, filed earlier this week, would change how the state parcels a portion of taxes collected when people buy clothes, building material and other goods. Instead of basing each county’s share largely on where sales occur, the bill would change to a population-based distribution system that would send less revenue to shopping destinations, such as in large counties like Wake and Mecklenburg. Rural counties would receive much more than they do now.

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Easter in Wilmington? Not your typical bunny-hoo

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There are only so many ways folks in the tourism industry can promote Easter – and they almost always end up with bunnies. Inflatable ones. Ones riding on excursion trains. Ones hiding chicken eggs at public events.

Is there anything else people might drive to see the weekend of April 3-5?

Let’s give credit to Wilmington for finding new ways to market the long Easter weekend… with and without rabbits.

Here’s some of what’s planned:

April 3-4. The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, just south of Wilmington, is holding Alligator Egg Hunts at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Kids create gator-egg baskets and go on a hunt for candy-filled “alligator eggs. The event is for ages 3-10; you need to pre-register by April 1. Participation is covered in aquarium exhibit. While you’re there, you can see a live baby gator and checker out the newer exhibits. Details: www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher.

April 3. At Battleship North Carolina, across the Cape Fear River from downtown Wilmington, “Buddy the Battleship Bunny” is in charge for continuous egg huts and festivities aboard the historic military vessel, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Details, including admission and pre-registration (required): www.battleshipnc.com.

April 5. Take a cruise Masonboro Island. The boat leaves from Blockade Runner Resort, on the hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – and the Easter Bunny will be aboard. There’ll be an Easter egg hunt on the island, which is one of the largest marine sanctuary islands in North Carolina. Details, including cost and pre-registration (required): www.wrightsvillebeachscenictours.com.

April 3-5. If you’re thinking more along the lines of, say, Fred Astaire in “Easter Parade,” consider a a carriage or trolly ride through historic downtown Wilmington. The depart from Market and Water streets. Details, including cost: www.horsedrawntours.com.

Fair warning: As the photo at the top of this post indicates, carriages and trollyes are pulled by “bunnies.”

Area info: www.gowilmingtonandbeaches.com.

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Tweetsie Railroad, North Carolina’s First Theme Park, Kicks Off 2015 Season …

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It’s all aboard! Tweetsie Railroad is set to pull into the station on Friday, April 10, 2015 for another exciting season filled with Wild West adventure for the whole family. Plan your visit to enjoy a ride on Tweetsie’s legendary steam locomotives through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Blowing Rock, N.C. The park’s 59thseason will host an exciting lineup of special events, including fan favorites like Day Out With Thomas, the July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza and Tweetsie¹s Ghost Train® Halloween Festival, as well as a first-time appearance from the colorful characters of Team Umizoomi.

Tweetsie has plenty for the whole family to explore, from a variety of amusement rides and live entertainment, to games at the county fair and panning for gold at Miner’s Mountain. Take a stroll through Tweetsie’s very own authentic Western town, where you can go back in time to experience the days of the Old West. And don¹t forget about the park’s centerpiece: a three-mile ride through the winding and breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains behind Tweetsie Railroad¹s historic steam locomotives.

Be sure to check out one of Tweetsie’s live shows. Sit back and relax while watching Diamond Lil’s Can-Can Revue, featuring the renowned Tweetsie Can-Can Dancers. Join in the fun at the Miner’s Mountain Magic Show, where guests are invited to take part in illusions and slight-of-hand tricks that will baffle any skeptic. Dance along with the Tweetsie Cloggers at the Tweetsie Country Clogging Jamboree. Or help Hopper (Tweetsie¹’s Rabbit engineer) and Porter (its Turtle conductor) keep the train running on time at Hopper and Porter’s Musical Celebration.

Tweetsie Railroad will also welcome a new neighbor and a major new attraction to the area this season: High Gravity Adventures, a state-of-the-art, aerial adventure park, will be opening this spring next to Tweetsie. Adrenaline-pumping thrills will be offered to climbers of just about any age, and an exciting zip line will be added in Phase 2 of High Gravity Adventures’ expansion. Visitors now have another great attraction to add to their itinerary when making a trip to Tweetsie Railroad.

It’s never too early to start planning your trip to Blowing Rock to experience all the Western adventure and magic of Tweetsie Railroad. Below is a look at special event lineup for the 2015 season:

Letterland© at Tweetsie ‹ May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14

For six days, Tweetsie Railroad will be transformed into a magical world for elementary schools using the Letterland©reading program. Based on the UK’s best-selling alphabet book, Letterland ABC, the Letterland reading system teaches children the alphabet and phonics by bringing letters to life. It¹s fun and educational!

David Holt and the Lightning Bolts in Concert ‹ Sunday, May 31

Tweetsie Railroad is honored to host four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt and the Lightning Bolts for a one-day only special performance. David Holt and the Lightning Bolts enliven old-time music with a new time jolt. Holt recently released a one-hour television show, David Holt’s State of Music, that aired on UNC-TV.

Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2015 ‹ June 5-14

Hop aboard with Thomas the Tank Engine as he chugs his way through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Children can meet and take pictures with Sir Topham Hatt, listen to Thomas and Friends storytelling, and enjoy activities in the Imagination Station. Advance tickets are suggested as tickets are limited for this very popular event.

Team Umizoomi ‹ June 19-21

They’re mighty. They’re mini. They’re math superheroes! Nick Jr.’s beloved characters, Team Umizoomi, will visit Tweetsie Railroad to entertain and take pictures with guests for this first time this summer. Meet Milli, her brother Geo and their friendly robot named Bot at North Carolina’s first theme park!

Fireworks Extravaganza ‹ Saturday, July 4

Celebrate America’s birthday with your family and friends in the High Country! Tweetsie Railroad will once again hold an exciting Fourth of July extravaganza you don¹t want to miss, complete with a night full of dazzling fireworks. The park will remain open until 9:00 p.m., and fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Parking is $10 per car for this event.

Cool Summer Nights ‹ June 20 and 27, July 11, 18 and 25

This popular event is back, letting park visitors enjoy cool summer evenings at Tweetsie Railroad during select Saturdays in June and July. On these nights, the park will remain open until 9:00 p.m. to make more time for family fun and adventure.

Scooby-Doo and Shaggy ‹ July 10-12

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? Meet the Cartoon Network’s Scooby Doo and his crime-fighting friend Shaggy during their return visit to Tweetsie Railroad. And make sure to bring your Scooby snacks!

K-9s in Flight Frisbee® Dogs ‹ July 18-26

Are you a dog lover? Then you won¹t want to miss this talented team of canines that delight audiences by jumping, flipping, diving and catching flying discs that defy gravity. Be prepared

to be amazed each day at Tweetsie Railroad when they perform at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.,

3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (Saturday nights only).

Riders In The Sky ‹ August 8-9

Enjoy a performance full of Western harmony and humor that has been captivating audiences of all ages since 1977. This multi Grammy Award-winning quartet is an event not to be missed.

Railroad Heritage Weekend at Tweetsie ‹ August 29-30

Celebrate the rich history of steam railroading and tour the famous Tweetsie Railroad Train Shop as the park hosts its annual Railroad Heritage Weekend. The weekend will also include performances and demonstrations by the Cherokee Tsalagi Touring Program.

Ghost Train® Halloween Festival ‹

Friday and Saturday nights September 25 ‹ October 31

All aboard Tweetsie¹s Ghost Train® for a nighttime ride with spooky engineer Casey Bones that’s full of thrills and chills as the park hosts its 26th Annual Ghost Train® Halloween Festival. Don¹t miss the Haunted House, Freaky Forest, trick-or-treating and other Halloween-themed attractions that provide a safe, family-friendly night of Halloween adventure.

Tweetsie Railroad will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting April 10, including Memorial Day Monday, and seven days a week from May 29 through August 16. The park returns to the weekend schedule from August 17 through November 1, including Labor Day Monday. The 2015 season ends Sunday, November 1. The park’s regular hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., but will be open until 9:00 p.m. on July 4 for the Fireworks Extravaganza and June 20 and 27 and July 11, 18 and 25 for Cool Summer Nights. Daily admission to Tweetsie Railroad is $41 for adults and $27 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. The Ghost Train® Halloween Festival will take place Friday and Saturday nights September 25 through October 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., with an admission price of $34 for adults and children. Tickets and Golden Rail Season Passes are available at Tweetsie.com.

Tweetsie Railroad is located on U.S. Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. For more information about the 2015 season at Tweetsie Railroad, visit Tweetsie.com or call 877.TWEETSIE (877.893.3874). Find Tweetsie on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Tweetsie and Twitter and Instagram, @TweetsieRR.

 

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Slingshot Aims High—to Remake the Athens Economy

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Kai Riedl has a tough time finding the right words for what, exactly, he’s trying to do with the Slingshot Festival.

“Curated and diverse, but still forward-thinking, until I come up with a better word than forward-thinking?” he told Flagpole during an interview earlier this month. “’Experimental’ doesn’t work. ‘Ambitious’ is lame. ‘Genre-expanding?’ Then you’re an academic prick. You’re doomed here.”

But his vision—hard to articulate though it may be—is apparent, and it is ambitious: To put Athens on the map as a globally recognized center at the intersection of tech, music and visual art; a place on the cutting edge that will draw both tourists and creative new residents, pumping up the local economy, so the best and brightest don’t feel pressure to leave to find work that doesn’t involve running credit cards.

“Over time, it’ll create a new kind of economy in Athens,” Riedl says.

Twenty or 30 years ago, Athens was the hippest small town in America. But now, Riedl sees other cities passing us by—Asheville, NC, the Research Triangle in North Carolina, Greenville, SC. Although Athens is still full of talented artists, musicians and entrepreneurs, we’re not necessarily known internationally for everything that’s happening here today, and those thousands of talented people don’t often get the chance to rub elbows with and be inspired by similarly talented people from around the globe. A group of Greeks is even putting on a spinoff in that other Athens (to be, somehow, simulcast here and vice versa), with future plans for spinoffs in Brooklyn and Berlin, too.

The festival aims to “try to give people in Athens a chance to see something they’d never, ever get to see, try to magnetize some tourism to Athens and also try to connect Athens to Atlanta,” Riedl says. “We tend to not give them a reason to come to Athens. If we give them an interesting reason, they’ll come, other than football.”

After a rather inauspicious start in 2013, Slingshot found its legs last year and is hoping to grow again this year. Co-founders Reidl and artist Eric Marty added Fat Possum Records’ Peter Wiley (who’s in charge of comedy) to the leadership team, as well as Dan Geller, an Athens musician/UGA researcher, along with about 30–40 volunteers who do everything from book acts to design apps.

With big-name headliners like James Murphy (formerly of LCD Soundsystem) and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler (performing under the name DJ Windows 98) Riedl hopes this year’s Slingshot—scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 26–Saturday, Mar. 28 at various locations downtown and on campus—will bring in several thousand people, including crowds “slingshotting” back home from last week’s South by Southwest, the massive tech/music showcase in Austin, TX.

“It’s not really [Murphy] coming to play a DJ show, it’s that we can still work with the geography and creative economy we have to do cool things, but other cities have sped past us,” he says. “I think for years it served us well to be isolated; that was pretty fantastic, but I’m not sure that’s really going to keep us alive.”

Tech innovators will be here for a panel talk on presenting vast reams of data using sound and light. (“It sounds techie, but it’s actually pretty cool,” Riedl says.) The music lineup features a mix of locals new and old, like Washed Out and Michael Lachowski (ex-Pylon), and experimental out-of-towners like Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche and Prince Rama. Art installations will be set up all over town.

This is a make-or-break year for Slingshot. Riedl has a litany of complaints about city government—from too little funding to officials’ lack of vision to what he calls embarrassingly shoddy websites—and he’s threatened to move the festival elsewhere if it doesn’t go well this year. “It’s with all the love, but whenever you do something new in Athens, it should always be with the implicit critique that things need to change,” he says.

Festivals like Slingshot are expensive and time-consuming to organize. Artists and venues need to be paid. For a festival that’s not yet established, corporate sponsorships are hard to come by. Wristbands at $70 are a tough sell to an Athens audience that’s used to paying $5 for shows, if anything at all, although the price tag is a fraction of what many festivals elsewhere cost. Riedl is unsure of Slingshot’s total budget; Marty told the Athens Downtown Development Authority recently that it’s somewhere between $100,000–$200,000. (The organizers are currently unpaid.) Riedl laments that the City of Asheville, NC, and Buncombe County gave Moogfest $180,000 last year, compared to the ADDA’s $6,000 contribution to Slingshot. But even with the infusion of government grants, Moogfest lost $1.5 million.

If Riedl and Co. can pull it off, though, look for even bigger things in the future. “I don’t know if we can reach it, but I think we’re at a three out of 10, when you talk about magnetizing jobs, economic development, doing things on a scale that will have an impact, that will revert back out to the nation,” Riedl says.

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Mother grateful for planned N.C. memorial for son, other plane-crash victims

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Ritz-Carlton: Charlotte CIAA fee went to servers

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Ritz Carlton lobby color

Pictured is the lobby at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte.








Erik Spanberg
Senior Staff Writer- Charlotte Business Journal

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A little more detail trickled out Wednesday regarding the controversial service charge applied by The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte during the CIAA basketball tournament in February. The hotel released a statement apologizing for what it called an “automatic gratuity of 15 percent” and said all of the money went to the servers working in the hotel lobby lounge.

CIAA fans noticed the Ritz lounge included the automatic 15 percent fee on their bills with the label “CIAA Svc Chrg.” Neither the CIAA, a conference of historically black colleges and universities, nor the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, the city’s tourism arm, knew about the charge.

Executives from the conference and the tourism authority said they were disappointed by the hotel’s decision to impose a fee aimed at CIAA fans. WBTV and other news outlets began scrutinizing the service charge after fans made the issue a subject of concern on Twitter and other social media sites. Almost immediately, a debate began over whether the Ritz fee was racially motivated. Some labeled it a “black tax.”

The N.C. attorney general’s office sent the hotel a letter last week seeking details on how and why the fee was charged. A spokeswoman for the attorney general told me Wednesday four complaints have been received regarding the service charge. The investigation is continuing and, to date, the Ritz hasn’t responded to the questions posed by the state.

“We’re still within the 10-day window requested for their response,” said Noelle Talley, the attorney general’s spokeswoman.

The hotel statement released Wednesday reads as follows:

“The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte apologizes to any guests we may have offended for the addition of a service charge that was implemented during a recent event in our lobby lounge. The service charge was an automatic gratuity of 15 percent that was distributed in full to the servers who worked the event. The service charge was not intended to offend anyone and we are deeply sorry for any misunderstanding we may have caused. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte is also cooperating fully with the North Carolina Attorney General’s inquiry into this matter. We are committed to ensuring that all guests feel welcomed at our hotel and receive the highest level of service, respect and hospitality we strive for every day at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte.”

Spending by fans and others in town for the CIAA basketball tournament totaled $47 million in 2014, according to the tourism authority. The 2015 tournament marked the first year of a new contract that keeps the event here through 2020.

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Erik Spanberg covers government, sports business, hospitality and airlines for the Charlotte Business Journal.



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