20
02 – 202
5
INSIDE ▼ Museum says art can combat loneliness PAGE 1B Friday, April 18, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 16
thecharlotteweekly.com
Got Soul Festival coming to The Amp Ballantyne CHARLOTTE – The Got Soul Festival is back for a second year of celebrating music, culture and community.
This festival is a celebration of the soul of the region, featuring a lineup of live entertainment, food, art and immersive experiences. Radio personalities and Charlotte Hornets arena hosts Fly Ty and Jacinda will host the event. Legendary hip-hop DJ Kid Capri headlines the show. Walter Boston and Charnel Allen featuring the Darrin Jackson Encounter are also scheduled to perform. The event takes place rain or shine from 3 to 8 p.m. April 26 at The Amp Ballantyne.
FARMERS’ MARKET TO HELP WESTERN NC FARMS
Buy tickets at CLTGotSoul.com. “Got Soul is an outdoor celebration of the music, culture and the energy that make this region so special," said Kimberly Lightfoot, regional policies and procedures chair and president of the South Charlotte Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc. "We’re excited to bring the community together once again for a fun experience that gives back in a meaningful way." Presented by the South Charlotte Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, last year’s Got Soul Festival drew over 700 attendees and $50,000 for local nonprofits. The festival supports four charities:
• Freedom Within Walls aims to combat hunger and provide enrichment programs for impoverished children. • Families Forward Charlotte partners with families in poverty to achieve lasting economic stability through education, support and individualized mentoring. • Do Greater Charlotte provides tools, space and community support to help underserved groups turn ideas into opportunities. • The Jack and Jill Foundation addresses issues affecting African American children and families, focusing on quality education, healthcare and a safe environment.
The farmers’ market at Village at Robinson Farm allows people to buy fresh food and meet their neighbors. Photos courtesy of Jennifer M Stanton
Jason and Kristen Stone, of Unity Farms, have been hosting the market for over a decade. In that time, customers have enjoyed watching their children grow up and meeting their neighbors under the pavilion. New this year to the market are all-cotton market bags sourced from Asheville that are available for $5, with proceeds going toward western North Carolina farmers who provide produce and plants to the market and are struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Helene. Among other things, all the ramps, apples and Christmas trees sold at Village at Robinson market are from western North Carolina. All the sweet potatoes are from eastern North Carolina. As in previous years, the market will randomly surprise customers who shop with a reusable bag with $20 gift certificates to restaurants in Village at Robinson Farm. So buyers who snag a $5 bag to help a farmer might win $20 to spend at Butcher’s Market, Red Sake, Hawthorne’s Pizza, Famous Toastery or Bradshaw Social House. The market operates from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Wednesdays through October. The Village at Robinson Farm is located at 8410 Rea Road. On the web: www.villageatrobinsonfarm.com
Older adults compete at Liberty Games MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Liberty Senior Living brought 100 residents from 10 of its independent living communities for the fourth annual Liberty Games.
Marilyn, of The Barclay at SouthPark, attended the Liberty Games.
Cotham’s transit bill wins praise By Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – Mayor John Higdon is encouraged by a new bill filed by N.C. Rep. Tricia Cotham that would open the door for the Silver Light East to potentially continue as a light rail project.
CHARLOTTE – The farmers’ market at Village at Robinson Farm opens for 2025 on April 19.
The Barclay at SouthPark and Brightmore of South Charlotte were among participating communities at the three-day, Olympicstyle event held recently at South Bay at Mt. Pleasant. The Liberty Games were spearheaded four years ago by Haley Kinne-Norris, INSPIRE Wellness and Enrichment coordinator for Liberty Senior Living. “I wanted to find a fun way to bring everyone together for a healthy competition,” Kinne-Norris said. Participants, ages 70 to 94, competed in bocce ball, putting, swimming, billiards, ping pong, shuffleboard, a water balloon tossing off a fourth-floor balcony towards a bull’s eye on the ground. Elizabeth Pierce, a resident of Brightmore of Wilmington, competed in several activities. Arthritis in one arm and shoulder and hip replacements “don’t hold me back from having a good time,” she said. “This is a fun
@southcltweekly
Photos courtesy of Liberty Senior Living
Marilyn and Ira represented The Barclay at SouthPark, one of 10 communities, at the Liberty Games.
and competitive way for me to represent my community and I feel great.” The Liberty Games also included trivia, chess and other cognitive competitions. Opening ceremonies started with a torch reportedly used in the Paris Olympics, a color guard presentation by cadets from the Citadel and the energetic entrance of each
team. Philanthropist and retired basketball official Dereck Whittenburg delivered the keynote address. The ceremony ended with a headstand by Cookie Finkelstein, an 83-year-old athlete from South Bay at Mt. Pleasant. The sixtime cancer patient went on to win the halfmile walk.
Cotham filed House Bill 948, The PAVE Act, on April 10. PAVE stands for Projects for Advancing VehicleInfrastructure Enhancements. “Rep. Tricia Cotham has put forth an alternate transit bill called the PAVE Act, which is in my estimation a great improvement over Sen. (Vickie) Sawyer’s bill because it would allow additional funding beyond 40% to be allocated to light rail,” Higdon told colleagues April 14. “So from that standpoint, it’s a much better bill.” Higdon said Matthews would have to convince other leaders in Mecklenburg County to support this bill as opposed to the other legislation that puts a 40% cap on transit projects if voters approve a 1-cent sales tax. The LYNX Red Line from Uptown Charlotte to Lake Norman has been identified as the priority among transit projects, leaving limited funding for other projects under a 40% transit cap. The Charlotte Area Transit System has been getting input from the community about how to proceed with other projects like the Silver Line East from Uptown Charlotte to Matthews and the Blue Line extension into Pineville and Ballantyne. Three of the four scenarios shared with the public involve converting the Silver Line East into a Bus Rapid Transit line. Cotham’s bill not only allows for increased transit funding, but also calls for a value engineering study on the Silver Line East as a light rail line. This would allow for a study of funding options, including “additional local taxes or fees not currently authorized, including additional sales taxes, taxes on parking facilities and congestion taxes; municipal service districts; tax increment financing; public-private partnerships; sale of naming rights; station rents; station air rights; advertising revenues; sale of amenities on public transportation (such as Wi-Fi or priority seating); and private donations.” Managers for five of the six Mecklenburg towns (excluding Matthews), issued a joint statement April 10 that expressed appreciation for Cotham’s bill. “We appreciate the thoughtful considerations that Representative Cotham has take nand the managers look forward to working with her and her colleagues in the House and Senate to advance legislation that increases mobility choices for the people of Mecklenburg County and our visitors through a referendum that will be decided by the voting public in Mecklenburg County.” The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance also issued a statement, describing Cotham’s bill as “forward-thinking legislation.” The Metropolitan Transit Commission is scheduled to meet April 30 and will likely hear input CATS has collected from the public on how to move forward with the Silver Line East and Blue Line Extension.