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take takeyour yourseat seat PRISCILLA PRESLEY Tribute
An Evening of Magic, COMING HOME: Memories and Truth THE MUSIC OF Friday, April 10 JAMES TAYLOR 7:00 PM
Featuring James Gedeon Thursday, October 8 • 7:00 PM Special Event
DR. LINDSAY ZANNO, PHD National Geographic Live “Rise of T. Rex”
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Steven J. Menendez Managing Director – Investments Senior PIM® Portfolio Manager
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110 Turnberry Way I Pinehurst, NC 28374 I 910-693-2430
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October 2026 DEPARTMENTS 15 20 23 25 29 33 35 39 41 47 49 51 57 111 133 135 136
Simple Life By Jim Dodson PinePitch Tea Leaf Astrologer By Zora Stellanova The Omnivorous Reader By Anne Blythe Bookshelf By Kimberly Daniels Taws Hometown By Bill Fields State of Mind By Tommy Tomlinson Dissecting a Cocktail By Tony Cross Sandhills Photo Club Out of the Blue By Deborah Salomon Birdwatch By Susan Campbell The Naturalist By Todd Pusser Golftown Journal By Lee Pace Arts & Entertainment Calendar Sandhill Seen PineNeedler By Mart Dickerson Southwords By Kaye Gibbons
FEATURES 63 Like Windblown Sand Poem by Lenard D. Moore
64 Jack’s Lanterns
The joy and wonder of carved pumpkins
By Todd Pusser
72 Prost Y’all
Pines, ponies porch swings and a stein full of Bavaria
By Warren Henry Lewis
76 Writers Valhalla
Celebrating the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame
By Bill Case
82 Cape Cod Soul
Heartwarming highlights on a Southern shore
By Hazlette Huskins
91 October Almanac By Ashley Walshe
Cover Photograph by Todd Pusser Photograph this page by John Gessner
6 PineStraw
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
October Sale
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M A G A Z I N E Volume 22, No. 10 David Woronoff, Publisher david@thepilot.com
Andie Stuart Rose, Creative Director andiesouthernpines@gmail.com Jim Moriarty, Editor jjmpinestraw@gmail.com Keith Borshak, Senior Designer keith@thepilot.com Miranda Glyder, Senior Designer miranda@pinestrawmag.com Alyssa Kennedy, Digital Art Director alyssamagazines@gmail.com Emilee Phillips, Digital Content emilee@pinestrawmag.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Jim Dodson, Stephen E. Smith CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
John Gessner, Laura L. Gingerich, Diane McKay, Tim Sayer CONTRIBUTORS Jenna Biter, Anne Blythe, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Bill Case, Tony Cross, Brianna Rolfe Cunningham, Mart Dickerson, Bill Fields, Mary Novitsky, Lee Pace, Gary Palmer, Todd Pusser, Joyce Reehling, Deborah Salomon, Scott Sheffield, Kimberly Daniels Taws, Tommy Tomlinson, Daniel Wallace, Ashley Walshe, Amberly Glitz Weber ADVERTISING SALES
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Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels III, David Woronoff In memoriam Frank Daniels Jr. 145 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387 www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2026 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC
10 PineStraw
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Located in the Village of Pinehurst 910.295.3905 • 105 Cherokee Rd • Pinehurst, NC 28374
Backs to the 2nd hole of the Cardinal Course
75 LAKE DORNOCH | PINEHURST, NC
A RARE OPPORTUNITY IN THE COUNTRY CLUB OF NORTH CAROLINA Welcome to an architectural masterpiece designed by FAIA award-winning architect Thomas T. Hayes Jr. This extraordinary mid-century modern residence offers timeless design, privacy, and resort-style living on 1.6 beautifully landscaped acres in the prestigious Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC). Walls of glass, vaulted ceilings, slate floors, and gleaming hardwoods create bright, inviting spaces. The updated kitchen features granite countertops, double ovens, newer appliances, large pantry, and built-in desk. Two fireplaces, a custom bar, and wine cellar make entertaining effortless. The main-level primary suite is a private retreat with cork flooring and a luxurious new spa bath featuring a freestanding soaking tub, walk-through shower, dressing room, and private balcony overlooking the property. Outside, enjoy an in-ground pool and golf course views overlooking the 2nd hole of the Cardinal Course. Additional features include a sunroom/atrium, mudroom, abundant storage, new siding, and new metal roof. CCNC offers championship golf, fitness, tennis, pickleball, dining, and a vibrant community. Minutes from Pinehurst Village, this rare property is a true piece of architectural history.
CHAD HIGBY, BROKER | 910.986.3509 | CHADHIGBY@GMAIL.COM
In the heart of Old Town Pinehurst
700 LINDEN ROAD | PINEHURST, NC
A HOME FOR EVERY PART OF YOUR LIFE Highly desirable single-level home in the heart of Old Town Pinehurst, beautifully updated to blend timeless charm with modern convenience. This 3-bedroom, 3-bath brick residence features white pine hardwood floors, a 2-car attached garage, and a 1-car detached garage. The chef ’s kitchen boasts Monogram stainless appliances, gas range, granite countertops, and unique handcrafted stainless sinks. The inviting living room offers a stone fireplace with gas logs, built-ins, and a light-filled belvedere. The spacious primary suite includes a custom walk-in closet, slipper tub, double vanities, and large walk-in shower. Additional highlights include a private office, year-round Easy Breeze screened porch, and billiard room with bar. The landscaped backyard features blueberry bushes, patio, firepit, hot tub, and a magnificent maple tree. A powered 3-bay dog kennel also works perfectly as a workshop and is backed by the whole-house propane generator. Thoughtfully renovated down to the studs, the home offers an efficient layout with updated plumbing and electrical systems. Conveniently located near Pinehurst Village, Pinehurst Golf Club, and shopping, this exceptional property offers a rare opportunity in one of Pinehurst’s most sought-after neighborhoods.
Live The Pinehurst Lifestyle
Photograph by Matthew Gibson
AT LISI MARKET
Tivo Tuesdays Theatre Building | Village of Pinehurst | 90 Cherokee Rd. | Pinehurst, NC | Monday— Saturday 2-10pm
SIMPLE LIFE
My October Surprise To be like Blue (and maybe Lao Tzu, too)
By Jim Dodson
At the start of
ILLUSTRATION BY GERRY O'NEILL
every summer, I vow to my wife, Wendy, that this will be the year I finally make peace with the heat and humidity of my least favorite season. And every year, I fail miserably. By Wendy’s birthday in mid-July, I’ve turned into a grumpy gardener who prays for rain that never arrives and shakes his fist at broiling, sunny skies. Even my golf game wilts. This summer, however, I took a different approach. I decided to be like Blue. And maybe Lao Tzu, too. Blue is my dog, a big, black, super-friendly, 65-pound flatcoated retriever with golden eyes, a thoroughly laid-back disposition and a blue-tipped tongue. A friend steeped in Native American lore insists that his golden eyes and blue tongue mean that he is probably descended from wolves and is a true spirit-animal guide. American Indians apparently revered their dogs for just this reason. Lao Tzu, of course, is the legendary 6th-century Chinese philosopher credited with writing the Tao Te Ching, the foundational text of Taoism. In college a million years ago, I took a course in Eastern religions and developed a shine to the old guy’s wise sayings, as have philosophers and spiritual teachers across the ages. It was Lao Tzu who pointed out that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,” a catchphrase appropriated by every tourism flack since the Middle Ages. My favorite Lao Tzu aphorism advises, “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” Blue seems to embody these words like no other four-legged creature I’ve ever known except one — my late dog Mulligan. I fondly called her “Miss Mully.” Three years ago, at the end of another blazing hot summer, The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Wendy and I said a tearful goodbye to Mully, our soulful flat-coated retriever. She was 17 and failing fast. Our hearts ached as we watched her take one last slow circuit around the back garden she’d watched me build before lying down at my feet and placing her noble head on my shoe. Putting her down was maybe the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. She truly was this man’s best friend. As that October arrived, a month that typically brings cool relief and nice surprises, I was still deep in grief. Wendy and I were having a drink in the same back garden, watching the first golden leaves of autumn drift to the ground. She asked me how I was doing. “Not great,” I admitted. “I hate to think I’ll never have another dog like Mully.” We have other rescued critters in our home, including a sweet, old Staffordshire pit bull named Gracie, a spunky, young border collie-spaniel mix named Winnie, and a mischievous calico cat named Juno that Wendy found as a week-old kitten abandoned in the Walmart parking lot. I love them all — even if they seem to love Wendy more than me. As usual, like Lao Tzu, Wendy was one step ahead of me. She tapped her smart phone and handed it to me. “How about this dog?” It was a photograph of a young Mully from our adventuring days together. Or so I thought until Wendy shook her head. “It’s not Mully. This is a young male from Tennessee. Last night I typed ‘flat-coated retriever’ into my search bar and he magically appeared. Can you believe it? He could be her twin brother.” She explained that he was rescued by an all-volunteer group called Critter Cavalry based in Franklin, Tennessee. The resemblance to Miss Mully was truly incredible, almost spooky. “As it happens,” Wendy casually added, “he’s going to be passing through Western Virginia two nights from now in case you would like to give this big fella a new home.” I asked how she knew this. PineStraw 15
SIMPLE LIFE
“Because I got in touch with Critter Cavalry, paid the adoption fee and we’ve been cleared by our vet to get him.” She added that several times a month the organization transports rescued dogs to qualified new owners up and down the East Coast. She smiled and added, “He’s your October surprise. I think Mully sent him to take care of you.” • We drove up to Fancy Gap, Virginia, that Friday evening and, as instructed to do for the rendezvous, parked behind a Wendy’s restaurant off the interstate to await the delivery. I joked that it felt like we were part of an undercover stakeout or waiting for an illicit drug delivery. Other cars soon pulled in around us. Eventually, a tall, white van with big, purple dog paws on its side rolled up and folks began getting out of the automobiles and heading toward it. Every one of them was smiling with anticipation. We were, too. There must have been two dozen dogs of every size and breed traveling in neatly stacked crates, all headed to forever homes. Our big, black fella was one of the last to exit the van. He climbed out of the van and calmly looked at me with glimmering, golden eyes. I let him sniff my hand. He licked it. “He has a blue-tipped tongue,” Wendy pointed out. So, we named him Blue. The first thing Blue did in Wendy’s car was take a giant poop on her back seat. We joked that it was a long ride from Tennessee without bathroom breaks and gave him a drink of cool, bottled water during the clean-up stop.
We weren’t back on the road more than five minutes when Blue climbed forward onto the middle console and laid his head on my right thigh. It stayed there all way all the way home. Blue turned out to be an extraordinary dog. He leads our morning walks and sleeps on the floor directly beside me. Nothing rattles him. He remains cool and calm in every situation, happily responding with his golden eyes shining. He rarely barks except when he suddenly rolls joyfully around on the floor, yipping with childlike glee at finding his forever home. He loves big hugs and lets life flow past with the ease of an ancient Chinese philosopher. Methinks Lao Tzu would love Blue — for he seems to realize nothing is lacking; the whole world belongs to him. Our artist friend, Harry Blair, was so taken with Blue’s aura, he decided to sketch him. He captured Blue’s “Tao” perfectly. As our journey of a thousand miles begins, Blue probably has no idea that he’s become both my best pal and my four-legged teacher. This past summer brought record drought and punishing heat waves, during which our air conditioning even went caput. But, vowing to “Be like Blue,” I took it all in stride, better than ever, in fact. I think Miss Mully would be pleased. PS Jim Dodson’s 17th book, The Road That Made America: A Modern Pilgrim Travels the Great Wagon Road, is available at The Country Bookshop
LUXURY HOME SPECIALIST /BROKER, OWNER
30 SPRING VALLEY COURT – FAIRWOODS ON 7
12 FORTROSE CIRCLE – NATIONAL
GOLF FRONT on prestigious Pinehurst No 4. GOLF Signature membership. Chef kitchen, spacious rooms, Golf Simulator, and indoor putting green included Pinehurst CC Signature membership available for transfer at reduced rates. Immediate golf membership with NO WAIT TIME.
IMMEDIATE MEMBERSHIP GOLF WITH NO WAIT TIME. This exceptional home offers luxury living with breathtaking golf course views. LOCATION. Top area builder and designer collaborated to create an award-winning home. Pinehurst CC Signature membership available for transfer at reduced rates.
$1,675,000
$1,350,000
25 Chinquapin Rd. Pinehurst, NC 28374 | 910.528.6427 www.linhutaff.com | linhutafff@pinehurst.net
310 INVERRARY ROAD – FAIRWOODS ON 7
50 MCCASKILL ROAD W. – OLD TOWN
175 BROOKHAVEN ROAD – FAIRWOODS ON 7
Overlooking multiple holes on iconic Pinehurst No. 2 including the 8th hole, 16th hole, 17th hole, and 18th hole.
“Blinkbonnie” was built by financier Simon B. Chapin, showcases early-1900s Old Town charm on over an acre.
ACCESS TO IMMEDIATE GOLF Charter membership. Overlooking the 15th Hole on No 7 course in Fairwoods on 7.
$2,500,000
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$1,595,000 – PENDING
15 KILBRIDE DRIVE – PINEWILD CC
117 CHANTICLEER – FOREST CREEK
1 COLLETT LANE – PINEHURST
Value in Forest Creek. Elegant interior designed for comfortable everyday living and effortless entertaining. Pool. Lock-it and Leave-it. Nothing spared in either design or quality of materials.
Private cul-de-sac in Donald Ross area. Pool, screened porch, deck, golf cart access to Village and Pinehurst Courses. Great ‘’second home’’ for weekend golfers or year-round family home. Pinehurst Membership for transfer.
Exceptional GOLF-FRONT living overlooking the 3rd hole of the Magnolia Course. Thoughtfully designed for gracious living and entertaining, the home combines classic architectural details with spacious, comfortable interiors and wonderful connections to the outdoors. Freshly painted throughout. Pinehurst Membership for transfer.
$995,000 – PENDING
$895,000
$1,100,000
70 WILSON ROAD – PINEHURST
90 BRIDLE PATH CIRCLE
15 SHENECOSSETT DRIVE – PINEHURST NO. 6
Steps from the Heart of Old Town Pinehurst. One-level brick home thoughtfully designed for effortless living, featuring a large in-ground swimming pool surrounded by mature landscaping.
Charming and move-in ready! The private backyard oasis provides additional outdoor living space for comfort and versatility. This spacious home features an open layout, well-appointed kitchen, and bright living spaces.
Stunning golf course living. Perfectly positioned overlooking the lush green and sweeping fairway.
$795,000 – PENDING
$769,000
31 JUNIPER CREEK BLVD – PINEHURST NO. 6
2 INTERLACHON DRIVE – PINEHURST NO. 6
12 ARONIMINK DRIVE – PINEHURST
Elegant custom brick home NEXT TO A PARK … in your back yard. Step outside to your own private retreat featuring a beautifully landscaped backyard with winding walking paths.
Pinehurst CC membership available for transfer at reduced rates. Located on desirable Interlachon Drive, a private cul-de-sec close to large pond. Great for walking.
$695,000
$549,000
DESIRABLE ARONIMINK SUBDIVISION! Exceptional location on the 9th Hole of the Pinehurst No 5 Course with views of Fairway, Green, and Lake Pinehurst. GOLF FRONT location seldom for sale. Beautiful sunsets and tranquil enjoyment on the deck overlooking the Golf Course and Lake.
$730,000
$475,000
Sensational, Spacious & Move-In Ready. An expansive 1.27-acre golf-front homesite along the 4th at Pinewild, a thoughtful balance of indoor/outdoor living that dazzles across its 3,819 square feet. This is Windbeam, where the great room, kitchen, and casual dining area open to a covered outdoor living space complete with outdoor kitchen. In all, four bedrooms, along with a flexible bonus room that can serve as a fifth, provide ample space for both everyday living and visiting guests. Pinewild Club initiation fee is waved when activated within 30 days of closing.
O N T H E C O U R S E AT P I N E W I L D 43A PINEWILD DRIVE
4 BD I 5 BA I 3,819 SQ FT I $1,499,900
COME HOME TO EXCEPTIONAL OPTIONS AND UPGRADES, ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE ELEVATED LIFESTYLE YOU’LL ENJOY AT PINEWILD. INFO@PINEWILDCC.COM | 910.295.5700 | 6 KILBRIDE DRIVE | PINEHURST, NC 28374
Equal Housing Opportunity. Information not verified or guaranteed. All imagery is representational and does not depict specific buildings, views, or future architectural, community, or amenity details. All services, pricing, square footage, bed/bath counts, finishes, floor plans, and renderings are subject to change without notice and at the sole discretion of the seller. Pinewild Builders, LLC is the owner and developer of the project. Obtain the property report or its equivalent, required by Federal and State law and read it before signing anything. No Federal or State agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property.
View floorplan, features & more
DIRTY JOB. Pretty Work.
BRICKWORK
STONEWORK
FIREPLACES
OUTDOOR LIVING
910-944-0878
www.howellsmasonry.com 10327 Hwy 211 • Aberdeen, NC 28315
PinePitch A Slipper in Time Set to the score of Sergei Prokofiev and produced by the United European Ballet, Cinderella combines classical ballet tradition with the charm of a grand theatrical fairytale. The timeless ballet features elaborate hand-painted sets, exquisite costumes created by European designers, and a cast of international dancers who bring the story to life. There are two performances at BPAC’s Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst, the first on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 7 – 9:30 p.m., followed by a matinee at 2 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Assets, Agents and Tradecraft Dexter Ingram will speak on “Secrets and Statecraft: What Three Decades in National Security Taught Me about the History of Spying” in the Ruth Pauley Speaker series at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in BPAC’s Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Ingram is a counterterrorism, counter weapons of mass destruction, and counter violent extremist strategist with over 25 years of experience. He has led U.S. interagency delegations to Asia and Africa focusing on nuclear proliferation deterrence. His wide ranging assignments have included deputy director of the State Department’s WMD terrorism effort; International Counterterrorism Fellow at the National Defense University; and as a senior liaison to the FBI and DHS. For information and tickets go to www.ticketmesandhills.com.
Prancing Horse The Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship hosts its 34th annual farm tour fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 11a.m. – 4 p.m. The tour of four working farms is self-guided and includes events, food trucks and more. Tickets supporting this lifechanging program are $30 in advance and $35 the day of, and are available at www.ticketmesandhills.com.
Double Book It Wealth manager Doug Lynam, a former Benedictine monk and the author of From Monk to Money Manager, discusses his book Taming Your Money Master, from 6 – 7 p.m., at The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Then, on Friday, Oct. 16, Kate Hash will talk about her book The Mother-In-Law Book Club, also from 6 – 7 p.m., at The Country Bookshop. For information on both visit www.ticketmesandhills.com.
20 PineStraw
A Little Johann Sebastian, If You Please The Arts Council of Moore County opens the new season in its Classical Concert Series with the Chrysalis Chamber Players at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, at the Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad Street, Southern Pines. Chrysalis performs music ranging from Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos to chamber music. The ensemble consists of trumpet and string quartet. For information go to www.ticketmesandhills.com.
The Big Boo! Kids in grades kindergarten through fifth can enjoy a little Halloween fun at the Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, as a tune-up for the big Boofest when all the little Cinderellas, Buzz Lightyears and Spidermen trick-or-treat the businesses on both sides of Broad Street. After that, if Mom and Dad are still upright, there will be games and crafts at Downtown Park, 145 S. E. Broad. Finish off the night with a free showing of Toy Story 5. For information call (910) 6920-7376.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
BYO Lederhosen Holly Jolly Because it’s never too early to begin Christmas shopping, the Holly Arts and Crafts Festival takes over the beating heart of Pinehurst’s village streets beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday Oct. 17, and winding down by 4 p.m. Featuring over a hundred crafters who can make just about anything you can imagine, the jewelers, pot throwers and painters, et al. will be joined by the permanent residents who’ll have their wares on display, too. For additional information — though, seriously, who among us hasn’t been to Holly Arts and Crafts? — go to www.vopnc.org.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY RICHARD TERMINE / MET OPERA
Don’t Fret Kareem McCullough performs on the intimate stage of the McPherson Theater, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst, in BPAC’s Classical Guitar Series on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. A California native, McCullough began studying guitar at the age of 15, has appeared on the stage as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor, and had the pleasure of studying with renowned guitarists like Roland Dyens, Pepe Romero, Jorge Caballero and Marcin Dylla. For more information go to www.ticketmesandhills.com.
Experience This! There simply aren’t enough exclamation points in the English language to cover all the tribute bands the month of October has on offer. The Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines, will host Somewhat Petty Somewhat WANNABE! Petty, the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band, on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m., with an encore on the 11th, at 3 p.m. Act two at the Sunrise is WANNABE!, the Spice Girls experience, on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. Finishing off October is Floyd Live!, the Pink Floyd tribute, on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, both shows at 8 p.m. And, while strictly speaking it’s not a tribute band, James Gedeon presents “Coming Home: The Music of James Taylor,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, at BPAC’s Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. For Sunrise info go to www.sunrisetheater. com. For information on Sweet Baby James visit www. James Gedeon ticketmesandhills.com. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Pinehurst’s Oktoberfest celebration begins with Kinderfest at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, featuring music, crafts and a bubble artist. Then the traditional Oktoberfest activities kick in with an oompah or two, food (May we suggest the schnitzel?) and beverages available for purchase, at Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Road W., Pinehurst. Warning: A beer may be involved.
We Have an Aria for That The Met Opera kicks off its 2026-27 season with a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (we really didn’t need to include his whole name, but how often do you get to say Wolfgang?) witty romantic comedy Cosi Fan Tutte on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m., on the big screen at the Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. But that’s not all. On Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m., the Met returns with Giuseppe Verdi’s take on the immortal Shakespearean drama Macbeth. Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star as the king and his power-mad lady. For more information go to www.sunrisetheater.com.
Funnel Cakes Anyone? If its autumn, it must be Autumnfest. Now in its 48th year, the Arts Council of Moore County and Southern Pines Parks and Recreation pool their resources to host Autumnfest on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Downtown Park, 145 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Arts and crafts rule the day, joined by lots and lots of food and musicians in the flesh. For more information go to www.mooreart.org.
PineStraw 21
Photograph by Matthew Gibson
Theatre Building | Village of Pinehurst | 90 Cherokee Rd., Suite 1C | Pinehurst, NC Monday - Saturday 6:30am to 6:00pm. Lunch 11:00am to 2:00pm
TEA LEAF ASTROLOGER
Libra (September 23 – October 22)
Someone’s feeling extra flirty this month. Mirror face aside, get ready for a cosmic reset on Oct. 10 sure to set your gaze in a bold new direction. Of course, this does mean you’ll need to make a choice. And with your ruling planet Venus in retrograde now through mid-November, one choice you ought to make is self-restraint, particularly when it comes to extraneous spending. Hint: Shop your own closet, sweetheart. You’re already extra.
Tea leaf “fortunes” for the rest of you: Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Let yourself be surprised.
Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
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23 Augusta Drive, Southern Pines
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Listen for the crows.
Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) Host a soup swap.
Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) Check the air filters.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Change the batteries.
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
285 Sugar Gum Lane #20, Pinehurst
$475,000
3 Beds | 3 Baths | 1,717 Sq Ft
Debbie Darby Knight
(910) 783-5193
There’s a first for everything.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Add more nutmeg.
Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
Do the words bobtail cat mean anything to you?
Cancer (June 21 – July 22) Explore moon meditations.
Leo (July 23 – August 22) It’s time for a color refresh.
Virgo (August 23 – September 22) Embrace the wild rumpus. PS
Zora Stellanova lives in the N.C. mountains with her wolfdogs, Venus and Lilith. Although she prefers divining with loose-leaf pu-erh, she recommends a mugwort and passionflower blend for those seeking wisdom and clarity from the dream realm. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
161 Starland Lane, Southern Pines
$459,900
3 Beds | 3 Baths | 2,444 Sq Ft
Jordan Baker
(540) 454-3641
Fall in Love with your New Home! We would love to learn more about your home buying or selling goals! Sheryl Bare – Managing Broker (704) 929-0362 Sheryl.Bare@BHHSPRG.com 42 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374 • 910-295-5504 • Pinehust.BHHSCarolinas.com ©2026 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC
PineStraw 23
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OMNIVOROUS READER
Madcap Mayhem In a zany debut novel
By Anne Blythe
Remember Best in Show, that quirky
Christopher Guest mockumentary that pokes fun at eccentric dog owners and the competitive world of breeding and showing purebreds? Fast forward 25 years. Mimi Montgomery, a Washington-based Axios reporter who hails from Gaston County, has taken that same chaotic culture, given it a modern twist, dropped in a body count, and delivered a wacky spoof of millennial dog culture in her debut mystery, Murder Bites. In this suburban satire, Montgomery takes us to the fictitious Glenville, South Carolina, where protagonist Margot Cartwright stands out like a sore thumb. Margot is thrust into a sea of cliquey moms when her husband inherits his childhood home and moves her and their two children into an unfamiliar culture, a world away from the life they knew and liked in the nation’s capital. She detests her new life. And when we first encounter the willing outcast, she is preoccupied with the whole town’s seeming obsession with a TV reality show called Pawsh and the lengths to which her neighbors will go to get their bougie pups a chance at prime time. Margot’s mutt, Sid Vicious, did not measure up to the show’s standards, but even if he had, she would not have subjected her lovable companion to such drama. This was a town where Quinn Chandler and her Lhasa Apso wore matching pelts. Tippi Hayburn carried her pug in a pink BabyBjörn on her chest. And Sally-Claire Foster, Hattie O’Connor and Weezie Whiteagle wrangled their dogs into matching floral rompers, “making them dead ringers for the von Trapp children’s curtain wear.” With a Pawsh camera crew in town from Los Angeles, dogs romp across the center green The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
in their “jaunty, tartan, smoking jackets” and “custom-fitted shearling booties.” Margot is a woman who considers “public disruption an art form,” and she counts herself among the masters of her craft, just as Leonardo da Vinci was in his artistic world. That might mean strapping a homemade sandwich board onto Sid Vicious calling for an end to designer puppy mills and keeping Pawsh out of Glenville. She had no qualms about sneaking around in the cloak of darkness to yank “Everything is Pawsh-ible” signs — planted by members of the “Mommy Mafia” — out of her Stepford-esque neighborhood. “The Mafiosas,” Montgomery writes, “had swiftly shunned Margot upon her arrival to town, and so she studied them with the fringe fascination of Jane Goodall perched under a jungle leaf in Tanzania, watching as they carpooled their children around in $80,000 luxury SUVs, ginormous wedding rings sparkling, or as they carried out the kind of hobby-jobs well-off women dabble in when bored — professional organizing, assembling charcuterie boards, mid-level marketing schemes.” What Margot found “perhaps most integral to the Mommy Mafiosos,” Montgomery continued, “were the companions perpetually nestled in the cradle of their sculpted biceps, the kind of squirrel-dog hybrids that weighed about the same as a head of lettuce while also costing about the same as a year of in-state tuition.” PineStraw 25
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When signs go missing, protests become disruptive or one of the more insufferable dog moms receives weekly orders of unsolicited Lord Farquaad bob wigs to match her hairstyle, Margot usually is behind the antics. So when Boomer, the local dog walker, is found dead in a front yard Halloween display with Home Depot skeletons, Margot, persona non grata in the neighborhood, quickly becomes suspect number one. Only this time, she didn’t do it.
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“. . . the kind of squirrel-dog hybrids that weighed about the same as a head of lettuce while also costing about the same as a year of in-state tuition.” Margot sets out to clear her name, but she can’t do it alone. Two unlikely neighbors band together to help her with the sleuthing — Anne, the stylish, 70-something widow who relishes reigning over the neighborhood HOA with an iron fist, and Sally-Claire, who sours on the Mommy Mafia and their judgey ways. Madcap investigations ensue. Twists and turns occur, keeping readers guessing. Montgomery’s debut novel is zany, laugh-out loud funny in places, and a complete joyride, packed with entertaining characters and cultural caricatures deftly planted throughout the pages. PS Anne Blythe has been a reporter in North Carolina for more than three decades covering city halls, higher education, the courts, crime, hurricanes, ice storms, droughts, floods, college sports, health care and the many wonderful characters who make this state such an interesting place.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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PineStraw 27
A Community Designed for Living Well Community Designed Living AACommunity Designed for for Living WellWell At Penick Village, wellness isn’t just a program. It’s a philosophy built into every day. The newly opened
AtAt Penick Village, wellness isn’t isn’t ajust program. It’s a philosophy built intobuilt day.every The newly Penick Village, wellness aaccess program. It’s aindoor philosophy into day.fiopened The VanCamp Wellness Pavilion givesjust residents to a full-size pickleballevery court, state-of-the-art tnessnewly opened VanCamp Wellness Pavilion gives residents access to a full-size indoor pickleball court, state-of-the-art fitness VanCamp Wellness Pavilion designed gives residents access toand a full-size indoor pickleball equipment, and active programming to keep you moving engaged. From group fitness court, classes state-of-the-art equipment, and active programming designed to keep you moving and engaged. From group fitness classes equipment, and active programming to keep you moving and engaged. and guided meditation to quiet walks along ourdesigned scenic campus trails, there’s something for every interest From and group fitness c and guided meditation to quiet walks along our scenic campus trails, there’s something for every interest and and guided meditation to quiet walks along ourlearning scenicopportunities, campus trails, something ability level. Combined with chef-prepared dining, lifelong and there’s a full continuum of for every interest ability level. Combined with chef-prepared dining, lifelong learning opportunities, and a full continuum of
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BOOKSHELF
October Books
FICTION
Peck & Peck, by Bonnie Garmus It’s 1982, New York City. Crime is on the rise, muggings are in the streets, and Batter Gray, a recent college graduate with a skill that no one wants — an “ear” for poetry — is worried about his future. While all of his friends have real jobs, he’s folding T-shirts at the Gap. As for love? No. Not unless you count Sallie Mae, the student loan tyrant. He hears from Sallie all the time. But when Batter gets a dream job at Peck & Peck, the most prestigious poetry quarterly in the world, his life moves into the literary fast lane. Soon Batter is knee-deep in the secret war between the two editors-in-chief, the famous Peck brothers — twins and enemies — as well as being privy to the private affairs of their 39 editors, fitness whose professed mission is the same: Find originality. Reward classes creativity. Burn the rest. And by burn, they mean incinerate.
t and Odette Rising, by Julianne Edwards It’s 1896 in Sèvres, France, and from her bedroom window, of Odette Huré watches a funeral procession carry her father’s
coffin away. She is 21 and has not left the house for 10 years. Odette looks on as her life passes, reading and soothing herself with food. But with the sudden death of her father, the walls she has built around herself begin to crumble. Forced into the world, she discovers that she’s responsible for her father’s considerable fortune and his celebrated stockings factory — renowned for its exquisite designs that adorn the slender ankles of Parisian femmes célèbres. Now Odette must try and navigate the world she has hidden from for so long. In doing so, she unearths secrets left behind by her father and the shocking truth of her own identity. Luna, Phoenix, Queen, by Julie Orringer Dava and Barr Pennington, professors at a Midwestern university, both harbor potent secrets. Fiction writing is his specialty; English literature is hers. But Dava is unhappy in their The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
marriage, and secretly in love with a colleague, Svetlana White, who teaches in the Russian Studies department. Spurred by their complicated liaison, she spends her nights working on a novel about two women who run a domestic violence shelter in coastal Maine. Though she loves the work and the refuge it provides, the writing becomes increasingly difficult as her memory begins to fail; tests reveal that she’s suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. After a precipitous decline, she moves to a memory care facility in a neighboring town. Soon afterward, her husband, alone in the house at night, discovers her hidden manuscript, which he reads with envy, and then with anger. Over the next two years he rewrites the novel and publishes it as his own, to wide acclaim. But persistent feelings of guilt lead him to confess his theft to an unlikely party, who leads others to the truth. Luna, Phoenix, Queen tells its tale of artistic and marital betrayal in a chorus of voices. NONFICTION Simply Ina: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten Through her years of experience as a home cook, Garten has learned that the best food is often the simplest. With just a little thought and a few good ingredients, you can make truly impressive dishes without spending hours in the kitchen. Simply Ina, a new collection of 85 easy yet impressive recipes for every meal of the day, celebrates the delicious results of streamlined cooking, sharing expert tips and tricks for achieving the best flavor with the least amount of effort. Each recipe has a secret that makes preparing it easier than you thought. Whether you’re feeding unexpected guests, pulling together a Tuesday night dinner after work, or hosting a dinner party and don’t want to miss all the fun cooped up in the kitchen, you’ll be happy to have these simple, satisfying and completely doable recipes. Because simple food shouldn’t just save you time, it should let you enjoy the people you love. PineStraw 29
BOOKSHELF
CHILDREN’S BOOKS This Is How to Spot Animals! by Aline Portman Shhh! Don’t move! Bear is spotting animals. One day he hopes to find a red-breasted goose. A beautiful animal! And very rare. But today he has no luck. There is nothing to see. Spotting animals is not easy. But he’s good at it and will tell you how it should be done. Dramatic irony ensues as Bear leads readers through a day of wildlife watching. He insists there’s nothing to see, but readers will be delighted as animal after animal appears — a snail, a bird, a fox, even the rare red-breasted goose. (Ages 3 – 7.) An Octopus Named Houdini, by Zana Fraillion Houdini the octopus lives in an aquarium, but she misses her home in the wild sea. All day long we can hear that Sea howl prowling wild inside our brains and every part of us is straining to feel it taste it twirl it whirl it swirl it inside our body again. In this novel in verse, Houdini doesn’t like the visitors who bang on her tank. Or the way she can’t feel the sun on her skin or the wind rippling the water. It’s a dull existence for a creature with nine brains. Then one day she meets someone who is different from the others. Juno’s busy brain buzzes with so many questions and thoughts that Houdini’s skin tingles with wonder. But the singing of the sea is growing stronger and harder to resist. Can Houdini make Juno understand what she needs before it’s too late? (Ages 8 – 12.) Duel, by Shawn Harris Mirror images tell the story of two queens, two knights, and a duel over one shared hill in this astonishingly symmetrical picture book. Two castles sit on a hill, home to two queens. But the queens would rather not share, and each sends a knight to joust for the land. There’s just one problem — when the winner stands up in the middle of the field, no one is sure which side he came from. Maybe neighborly sharing is back in vogue! After all, they have so much in common. The illustrations in Duel follow one simple rule: Each pair of facing pages is perfectly symmetrical, mirrored over the gutter of the book, resulting in a visually arresting and effortlessly funny picture book that kids are sure to ask for over and over again. (Ages 4 – 8.) Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws, manager of The Country Bookshop
30 PineStraw
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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N NN W WIIN
R E ER
HOMETOWN
Local Heroes Cheering for the Blue Knights
By Bill Fields
wandered to the prospect of a concession-stand Coke or right catching one of the mini footballs thrown into the crowd at arm of Sonny Jurgensen halftime, I wasn’t paying close turned me into a attention to every down. Washington Redskins 1968 East Southern Pines High School football team Other Blue Knights also fan before I was old became familiar figures: Harry Jones, No. 22, one of the few African Americans on the predomienough for Midget League, but my first favorite nantly white squad, starred as a halfback in 1966 and ’67; quarfootball team played much closer to home. terback Billy Strickland, No. 10, was a three-sport letterman; Bill Prior to seeing Sonny sling Sunday afternoon spirals on our Little, No. 33, stayed very busy as fullback, linebacker and placeblack and white Zenith, I had become attached to the Blue kicker; end Tim Roschy, No. 80, later was my coach on the Midget Knights of East Southern Pines High School, which my sisters League Cowboys (we had a mimeographed playbook) before I had graduated from in 1963 and ’64 respectively when I was still realized I wasn’t cut out for the gridiron. The game program rosters busy dumping sand out of a Tonka truck. of the late 1960s were filled with familiar Southern Pines surnames: I couldn’t yet read the inscriptions that classmates had written Buchholz, Cuff, Sessoms, Warlick, Tate, Martin. The better athletes to Dianne and Sadie in their copies of The Lance, the school played offense and defense. yearbook, but I pored over the pictures. As a sports-minded kid, I With West Southern Pines — where Blacks attended high was particularly drawn to the pages showing the athletes. school during segregation — not having the money to field a Numbered and padded, the teenage football players seemed 1968 team, the Blue Knights benefited from the presence of larger than life to a child unable to heave a ball 10 yards. talented sophomore end Charles Waddell that fall in their final Photographs showed them in dramatic poses: lineman ready season before the opening of consolidated Pinecrest High in to pounce from a three-point stance; quarterback, ball in hand 1969. Waddell would go on to star at Pinecrest and UNC-Chapel and passing arm cocked; lunging linebacker frozen in midair Hill, where he was the university’s last three-sport letterman. by a flashbulb; the team picture showing the players with backs The Blue Knights lost two of their opening four games in ’68, straight and eyes focused, ready for business. then hit their stride. After a 14-14 tie with West Montgomery, A few years after my sisters had gone away to college, the Blue they finished with five straight wins. The last one, against Knights became more than images in an annual. Beginning in Aberdeen on Nov. 8, 1968, was the biggest. 1966, for three seasons, I tagged along with my father to watch It was a good thing we weren’t late getting to the big game. them play on Friday nights in the fall at Memorial Field, the town On the Blue Knights’ first play from scrimmage, Skip Caldwell ballpark at the corner of Morganton Road and Bennett Street. ran 50 yards through the Red Devil defense for a touchdown. The Blue Knights — coached by John Williams, a fixture They scored on their next possession too, a 25-yard run by in Moore County sports for decades — were members of the Strickland. Final score of the final game: 14-6. Central Tar Heel 2A Conference with other area schools of When the lights came on the following fall, boys from both similar size: Union Pines, North Moore, East Montgomery, West towns would be wearing the green and gold colors of a new home Montgomery, Chatham Central, Pittsboro, Siler City, Rohanen team. PS (east Rockingham) and archrival Aberdeen. Bill Fields’ memoir, A Quick Nine Before Dark: A Life in Golf, Randy Arnold, a son of one of my father’s friends, played is available at The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines and other center, so we tried to keep an eye on No. 52 in blue and white places books are sold. when the home team had the ball. But given that my mind
PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE LANCE/EAST SOUTHERN PINES HIGH SCHOOL
The strong
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
PineStraw 33
The Best Things in Life Are Wild
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STATE OF MIND
Fair Is Fair
Games of chance and deep-fried everything
By Tommy Tomlinson
We used to
ILLUSTRATION BY GARY PALMER
meet at the sow.
That was our gathering spot every year at the Cleveland County Fair in Shelby. For years, my wife and I and some of our friends would go to the fair every fall. Every year they’d have a sow that either had just given birth or was about to. So we knew we’d have a place to meet, and maybe some cute piglets to fawn over. It was a lovely way to start a lovely night. This is the time of year for county fairs all over North Carolina, plus the big state fair in Raleigh. The fair in Shelby is officially called the Cleveland County Agricultural Fair. The timing has long been tied to the harvest — by now most all the crops are in, and farmers can show off their bounty. Most county fairs have “agricultural” or “industrial” somewhere in the title. In Brunswick County they call it the Agricultural Fair and Expo, just to get a little fancy. There are no smells quite like fair smells. Back in the ag area, it’s a blend of cowflop and fresh hay and horse shampoo. You can always tell the city kids who wander back to the animal sheds. They’re in sensory overload. Their noses and ears and eyes don’t know what the hell is going on. It’s one thing to see a goat on TV. It’s a whole other thing to hear them bleat in stereo, or to look close enough to see that their pupils are not only rectangular but horizontal. No wonder goats show up in horror movies. I think some farmers hope the fair will lead others to be drawn to the farming life. But I do wonder if some folks come out of there thinking: Nope, don’t need to see that again, get me to someplace with concrete. You don’t have to wander far until the smells change. Pretty The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
soon you’ll catch the scent of batter dipped in cooking oil, and you are likely to float that way like a cartoon bear drifting toward a honeycomb. When you get there, Lord knows what you’ll find in the deep fryer. Every year fair food looks and tastes more and more like Guy Fieri’s dreams. When I was a kid, county fair food was mostly corn dogs and funnel cakes. Now, at the state fair, the corn dogs are Korean and you can get them in flavors ranging from cinnamon mozzarella to Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The funnel cake at the Beaver Concessions booth was the Food Network’s choice for the best item at last year’s state fair. That particular funnel cake is infused with Cheerwine — both in the batter and the icing. Just writing that sentence made me diabetic. Every county fair worth its grease now has fried Oreos, fried Snickers, fried corn, fried pickles, fried cookie dough, fried burgers, fried turnip greens and fried banana pudding. (I thought I made up those last two. Then I went and checked. They have fried banana pudding at the Texas state fair. America continues to be a land of innovation.) One pro tip for the fair: Do not scarf down too many fried whatevers before going on the rides. Rides at the fair are designed to flip your insides upside down. There’s always some sort of ride named after mountains — the Matterhorn or the Himalayas or some such — that runs backward around an oval at speeds that don’t look scary until you’re actually on the thing. There’s always some sort of Flying Dutchman thing that pendulums from side to side while you sit in a replica of a boat and make out your will. There’s always some sort of Gravitron cylinder that spins so fast it pins your back against the wall, which is a good place to be when the botPineStraw 35
STATE OF MIND
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tom drops out. That last one is a perfect example of centrifugal force, which can be explained by Newtonian mechanics. While you are on it. you will pray that Newton got the formulas right. I will confess that I have never been much of a ride guy. I’m not getting on anything that rotates my body in three dimensions at the same time. I’d much rather spend my money on games I have almost no chance of winning. The good news is that every fair is full of those, too. The problem is, you only have to win once to think you’re a winner. Thirtysome years ago, I took a date to the state fair and played one of those games where you toss dimes into dishes. Normally, even if you’re a good shot, the dimes bounce out and land harmlessly on the ground. But this time I got a lucky carom and my dime landed in a tiny cup. The prize was a giant stuffed bear. My date and I had to haul that thing around for the rest of the night. Another pro tip, I guess: Wait to play for the big stuffed bear until you’re done with everything else. There were two prizes I won as a kid that I kept for a long time. I think I won them both in that game where you throw darts at balloons. One was a belt buckle with the logo of the band Kansas — they were famous in the ’70s for “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind.” In the Jeopardy! category of Bands Named For Places, they rank behind Boston and Chicago but ahead of Asia. The other prize was the Farrah Fawcett swimsuit poster that was such a sensation back in 1976. I’ll admit, 62-yearold me feels a little cringy that I once had that on my bedroom wall. But 12-year-old me? He was sure glad he went to the fair. PS Tommy Tomlinson is the author of two books, The Elephant in the Room and Dogland. He was a longtime columnist for the Charlotte Observer and has written for Esquire, The Atlantic, ESPN the Magazine and many other publications. His online newsletter is called The Writing Shed. He lives in Charlotte with his wife, Alix Felsing. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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DISSECTING A COCKTAIL
The Zombie Story and Photograph by Tony Cross
The original Zombie recipe was created
by Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt, otherwise known as Donn Beach. He grew up in New Orleans, and it’s rumored that one of his uncles was involved in rum-running during Prohibition. (Though it applied to every type of alcohol, the name came from smugglers bringing Caribbean rum into the U.S. by boat.) There’s a good chance that Donn was involved as well. A few years later, he took money his parents gave him and traveled the Caribbean and South Pacific, where his fascination for Polynesian culture began.
As rum aficionado Shannon Mustipher points out, “Donn’s innovation was to take Caribbean rums and Polynesian décor and vibe, and put them together in this culture fantasy, which became his bar.” In 1934, Beach opened Don the Beachcomber’s in Hollywood, and the tiki craze began. The Zombie put his restaurant on the map. As the story goes, one of Beach’s regulars came in with a hangover and asked for something to make him feel better. The next day the patron returned and said that the drink made him feel like he returned from the dead. Not only was Beach a drink innovator, he was a marketing genius. As for the ingredients, you want your juices fresh squeezed, your grenadine homemade (equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar), and quality rums. If picking out three separate rums seems too daunting, have no fear — another tiki legend (this one living), Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, teamed up with Ed Hamilton, of Hamilton rum, to create a Zombie Rum Blend. It’s amazing and makes constructing this cocktail a little easier. If you decide to go that route, use two ounces in the recipe below, replacing the three rums. PS
Specifications 1 1/2 ounces gold Puerto Rican rum (I use Ron Del Barrilito Three Star.) 1 1/2 ounces gold or dark Jamaican rum (I use my trusty Smith & Cross which is Navy Strength, clocking in with a 57 percent ABV. I use 1 ounce. Otherwise, I’d use 1 1/2 ounces of Appleton Estate Reserve.) 1 ounce Lemon Hart 151-proof demerara rum (Distilled in Guyana, this big boy is a must-have ingredient for this cocktail; flavors of vanilla, caramel and dried fruits.) 1/2 ounce Falernum (a syrupy, very low-proof liqueur with flavors of clove, lime and almond) 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice 1/2 ounce Don’s Mix (two parts white grapefruit juice and one part cinnamon syrup*) 1 teaspoon grenadine 6 drops Pernod or absinthe (I opt for the latter; Pernod is very anise-forward.) 1 dash Angostura bitters Mint *Cinnamon syrup: In a blender, add half a cup of hot water, half a cup of sugar, and 2 cinnamon sticks. Blend until sugar dissolves. Let sit for one hour. Fine strain into a container and refrigerate.
Execution Combine all ingredients, sans garnish, in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until vessel is frosty. Strain into Collins glass with ice. Top off glass with pebble or crushed ice. Fresh mint for garnish.
Tony Cross is an on-again, off-again bartender who founded and runs Reverie Cocktails, a kegged cocktail distribution company that has been represented everywhere from dive bars to baseball stadiums.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
PineStraw 39
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SANDHILLS PHOTO CLUB
Churches & Graveyards Tier 3 Winners
Would you like to have fun expanding your photography skills through programs, outings, competitions, and workshops? We welcome you to learn more about our club and inquire about membership. For meetings and information visit www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.
Tier 1, 1st Place: Arlington by Donna Ford Tier 3, 3rd Place: Perpetual Peace by Susan Bailey
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Tier 3, 2nd Place: Resting Among the Flowers by Dee Williams
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Churches & Graveyards
Tier 2 Winners
Tier 2, 2nd Place: Lighting the Way by Jacques Wood
Tier 2, 1st Place: Graveyard Gaze by Joshua Simpson Tier 2, 3rd Place: Majestic Orthodox Church in Santorini by Cathy Locklear
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
PineStraw 43
Your trust inspires our performance.
CHRISTIAN MCCARTHY LESLEY PACOS
SCARLETT ALLISON
LAURIE KORNEGAY
RACHEL HERNANDEZ
MELODY MCCLELLAND
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CHRISTINE BARRETT TRACY GIBSON
KATE SHINKWIN
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PEOPLE | PROPERTY | A HIGHER STANDARD
JOY DONAT
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SANDHILLS PHOTO CLUB
Churches & Graveyards Tier 1 Winners
Tier 1, Honorable Mention: Duke Night Sky by Kate Annett-Hitchcock
Tier 1, Honorable Mention: Rock Castle View from Hore Abbey Window by Deb Castle
Tier 1, 3rd Place: Norwegian Triple Crosses by Sarah Mason
Tier 1, 2nd Place: Here Lies the Thagards by Jameson Everett
Tier 1, 1st Place: St. Patrick Owns the Night by Phil Lewis The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
PineStraw 45
OUT OF THE BLUE
Color Me October A delicious chill in the air
By Deborah Salomon
The seasons — and their respective col-
ors — have long influenced my life.
Unlike most Americans, spring is not my favorite. I love daffodils, tulips, iris, budding trees. The birds I fed all winter have a spring in their chirp, now that plump bugs replace their diet of sunflower seeds and peanut butter sandwiches. But spring spreads an ominous prescience: summer. Muggy heat, damaging storms, huge electric bills, mosquitoes, hay fever. Summer belongs at the ocean, with a cool breeze and water lapping my feet. Summer thrives at the farmstand, where the farmer’s daughter sells prize tomatoes and hours-old corn, blueberries begging pie crust, fragrant melons. Anywhere else summer, in my book, is to be endured, nothing more. Color summer fiery orange from sun-up to sunset. September is a pass-through. Color it undecided. Then comes October, which I adore. It is the yellow month, when trees positively glow. Early October offers a delicious chill tamed by fleece or corduroy. Coffee smells and tastes better on an October morn, ditto eggs and bacon, shunned during summer. True, the sun is noticeably lower, the days shorter. But October offers renewed energy, football, cider doughnuts, long walks, a comfy month despite looming November. Well, nothing good lasts forever. Paint November a dreary khaki. The sky is gray, the air damp. Once-fiery leaves turn crinkled and brownish, like cornflakes. They fall and must be raked. Coats appear, although Southerners resist winter wardrobes, preferring to scurry from car to office or store in shirtsleeves. For me, November’s redeeming icon is The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
cornbread turkey stuffing, perfumed with sage from the patio herb pot. December has to be red and green and sparkly silver, representing holidays meant to cheer, affirm, inspire, this year challenged by worldwide messes and climate change. Will there be frost . . . or dandelions? A roast of beef or ribs on the grill? January, definitely blue and white — the cold colors. After living most of my life far north I’ll never get used to a warmish January. I still crave soup and stew, strong tea spiked with a drop of brandy, a real fire in the fireplace. I want twinkling stars against a velvet sky, icicles on the lilac bush, enough snow to mask the dirt, and never mind if rosy-cheeked kids track it inside on their boots. February is pink and strewn with holidays, most boasting a celebratory food, from decadent Valentine chocolate to heartmonth healthy kale. The days stretch longer. Winter grows tired, soggy. Around here you can almost feel the trees shoring up strength to bud, then blossom. March could be anything, a blizzard or a heat wave to confuse wildlife. April is spring fashion month — the good, the bad, the laughable. Will jeans continue to widen or remain stovepipe? Will the middle-part hairstyle (think Mona Lisa with a muchneeded shampoo) have survived winter? Will the fellas on TV still wear running shoes with business suits? I’ll give April purple, a color with limited applications. I don’t see many purple sofas or jackets. Maybe a blouse or two. Or a tie, if the gentleman dares. Summer commences in May, stretches on and on. To which I will raise a drippy cone of black raspberry or peach and be thankful that, eventually, October will return. PS Deborah Salomon is a contributing writer for PineStraw and The Pilot. She may be reached at debsalomon@nc.rr.com. PineStraw 47
& Maestro David Michael Wolff invite you to an exciting 2026/27 Concert Season beginning with
THE WIZARD OF OZ No Place Like Home
Saturday, October 17th, 2026, 3:00 & 7:30 PM R.E. Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School Step inside a world where film and symphony become one. The Carolina Philharmonic performs the iconic Wizard of Oz soundtrack live to picture—every soaring melody, every magical moment— under the baton of Maestro David Michael Wolff. A full-sensory experience for all ages.
Brought to you through the generous support of Alan and Sharon Kane
Get Tickets
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
You are Cordially Invited to The Carolina Philharmonic’s 17th Annual Gala
A Fundraiser for Music Education in Moore County Experience the joy that The Carolina Philharmonic’s exceptional music education programs have brought to over 25,000 Moore County children. Thursday, October 29th, 2026 • 5:30PM • The Pinehurst Fair Barn Live/Silent Auctions. Open Bar. Elegant Buffet catered by Chef Mark Elliott. Valet Parking $175 Per Person/$1,200 Per Table of Eight For Tickets: call 910-687-0287 or visit www.carolinaphil.org Season Tickets Still Available! The Carolina Philharmonic is a 501(c)3 non-profit.
BIRDWATCH
Quoth the Raven
Once upon a midnight dreary . . .
By Susan Campbell
The raven is one of the most widely rec-
ognized and intriguing birds in the Northern Hemisphere, being a species that has associated with mankind for thousands of years. It is certainly not one that is common in the Piedmont of North Carolina — however, it is a bird seen more frequently each year, even in more urbanized areas such as the Triad and even in the Triangle area. The common raven is a rarity in the Sandhills, but that is likely to change before long.
In our state, common ravens breed at elevation in the Appalachians and can be found roaming the mountains yearround. For several decades now the species has been frequently found farther east, across the foothills, no doubt a range expansion facilitated by human activity. Ravens, as well as their crow cousins, are opportunistic feeders. Roadkill is a major and easy source of food — as are landfills, parks and campgrounds. Even pet food bowls and bird feeders have been known to attract their attention. Some birds have even learned that gunshots during hunting season may mean a meal in the not-too-distant future. Ravens are also capable of taking eggs, chicks and even newborn small animals such as lambs. Common ravens are massive, jet-black birds, half again as large as a crow. They have heavy, serrated bills and long wedgeshaped tails. Their wings are designed for soaring, since they typically have large territories across forested, as well as open, exThe Art & Soul of the Sandhills
panses. Individuals or pairs can be seen soaring effortlessly high in the sky. Their vocalizations often give them away, especially in remote areas. The common raven’s call is a harsh or gurgling croak that, not surprisingly, carries a long way. They may learn to mimic a variety of sounds, including human vocalizations if they are kept in captivity. These birds are exceptionally intelligent and are likely the smartest of all birds found in North America. Not only do they readily figure out where to find their next meal, they will work in pairs to acquire certain types of food. One individual will divert the attention of a nesting adult bird while its mate steals an egg or nestling. Common ravens can be destructive in their search for food, tearing into campers’ tents and other manmade structures and, in numbers, can foul sensitive equipment. They can certainly become a nuisance if they linger too often or too long around human habitation. This can be very problematic given how long-lived the birds are and that they are also non-migratory. It is a real shock each time I spot one of these impressive birds. There seem to be individuals that regularly patrol Interstates I-40 and I-540 west of Raleigh year-round. I have also noticed them above U.S. 1 just north of Sanford. I would not be surprised if a pair is breeding in the area along the Deep River. Riverside bluffs at lower elevations mimic the cliff habitat where common ravens usually nest. They also make the ledges on tall buildings their home as well. Ravens are clearly adaptable and perfectly happy to live alongside us — more and more, all of the time. PS Susan Campbell would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted by email at susan@ncaves.com. PineStraw 49
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THE NATURALIST
Ticked Off
Something wicked this way comes
Story and Photographs by Todd Pusser
Vampires are real, though they look nothing like the
Hollywood stereotypes who wear dark capes and speak in strange European accents. True vampires possess eight legs as adults (six in larval form) and are not much bigger than a peppercorn kernel. An estimated 900 species can be found crawling the globe, primarily in warm, humid forests across every continent except Antarctica. Some specialize in sucking the blood of rabbits. Others prefer the blood of bats. One species only laps up blood from the inner ears of cows. A surprising number are coldblooded connoisseurs, preferring the taste of turtles and the occasional snake. And yes — a very small percentage of species bite humans and suck their blood from time to time. I am speaking, of course, of ticks, the bane of hikers, dog walkers, campers, hunters, gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts everywhere. Despite ticks’ notoriety for sucking blood, most of the general public know very little about them. Here’s a little factoid to tuck into your memory rolodex — it may be of use the next trivia night down at the local pub. Ticks are not insects. They are arachnids, most closely related to spiders and scorpions, and have been sucking blood for over 120 million years. While T. Rex was chowing down on a Triceratops, chances are good that ticks were chowing down on it. That’s all well and good. Everything has a right to make a living. However, it’s what ticks carry in their saliva that make them public enemy number one. Tick spit can harbor a smorgasbord of pathogens — everything from bacteria and protozoa to viruses. The list of diseases that ticks can transmit to humans is fuel for nightmares and fodder for medical journals. Typhus. Rickettsialpox. Q fever. Colorado tick fever. Babesiosis. Hemorrhagic fever. Tick-borne meningoenchephalitis. Bourbon virus (definitely not a disease that causes one to crave Jack Daniels). Tick paralysis. Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Ehrlichiosis. Tularemia. Lyme disease. Heartland virus. Anaplasmosis. The list goes on and on. One in particular, a strange disease known as Alpha-gal syndrome, has been dominating news headlines of late, due to its rapid spread across the eastern half of the United States. The syndrome, transmitted through the bite of a lone star tick, causes an allergic reaction to a sugar molecule that is found in the red meat of mammals, like cows and
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Female Lone Star Tick
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
THE NATURALIST
pigs. For those unlucky enough to acquire it, the simple act of eating a cheeseburger or a sausage biscuit can trigger an outbreak of itchy skin, bad heartburn, vomiting and shortness of breath. A severe reaction can even result in death. The disease seems to affect people differently. Some have mild reactions to meat. Others are so allergic that even drinking a glass of milk can cause lifethreatening anaphylaxis. Some carry the allergy for the remainder of their lives. Others may completely lose the allergy after a few months. “I woke up in the middle of the night covered in hives,” former Dismal Swamp State Park ranger Tony DeSantis recently told me by phone. His experience was back in 2008, well before Alpha-gal syndrome was mentioned in the news media and on the radar of most clinical physicians. “It was bizarre,” continued DeSantis. “I could not figure out if I had bug bites or if it was some other rash. It happened a couple of times, and I could not piece it together.” Eventually, he realized that the rash would develop only after eating beef. “Every time that I ate beef, several hours later, I would break out from head to toe in intense hives,” he said. “It was bizarre. I never had any issues with eating beef before.” Why the sudden change?
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The breakthrough came a few months later, when a fellow park ranger pointed DeSantis to a scientific paper linking the bites of lone star ticks to an allergy of the sugar molecule, alpha-galactose, found in the meat of mammals. “That’s when it clicked for me,” DeSantis said. “I knew my rash was the result of a tick bite.” Working at the state park for six years, pulling ticks off clothing and skin while walking the trails, had become a daily routine — just part of the job. DeSantis recalled one researcher, who had visited the swamp years before, remarking that “it was the tickiest place that they had ever seen.” Lying along the border of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, the state park is nestled within the Great Dismal Swamp, an enormous wilderness area of nearly 150,000 acres. It is the largest remaining swamp in the Eastern United States. Finally linking tick bites to his beef allergy gave DeSantis some peace of mind, but it required making a committed lifestyle change. “Since 2008, I have just avoided beef and have never had a problem,” DeSantis said. This past summer, I ventured onto a friend’s property bordering the Great Dismal Swamp with Maurice Cullen, a retired Virginia Beach
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MEET THE AUTHOR
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The Mother-In-Law Bookclub October 16 at 6PM
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On a temporary assignment in Durham, NC, a recently divorced 40-something woman surprises herself by joining a neighborhood book club with a group of charming older ladies, all mother-in-laws who need major advice. But things get juicy when she falls in love with one of their sons.
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THE NATURALIST
science teacher and amateur lepidopterist. Our goal that evening was to find and photograph caterpillars and moths. Over six hours, we documented dozens of species. Returning home late that night, I jumped into the shower before bed and immediately discovered three lone star ticks, easily recognized by the large white dot on their abdomen, embedded deep in my skin. One was attached to my shoulder, another to the back of my neck at the edge of my hairline, and the third . . . well, let’s just say it was somewhere less pleasant. I texted Maurice warning him about the ticks. He replied that he had not found a single one on his clothes or skin. Lucky me. I guess I am a tick magnet. With tweezers, I carefully removed each one and flushed them down the toilet. I have been bitten by dozens of ticks in my lifetime, and thus far, I have yet to experience any serious reactions to their bites. Knock on wood. Still, over the following weeks, I paid close attention to what my body was telling me, constantly checking for weird rashes and noting any feverish symptoms. As someone who relishes a good cheeseburger, I am not sure I have enough willpower to change my diet like DeSantis. While tick diseases are certainly scary, there is no need to fear the outdoors. It is important to understand that not every tick carries a disease. If you do find a tick crawling on you, remember that it needs to bite you in order to transmit disease. Even then, research suggests that a tick needs to be attached for at least 24 to 48 hours to transmit most diseases. Checking your body thoroughly soon after each outing is the most effective defense against the little vampires. So go on that hike. Take the dog for a walk. Take your kid camping. The wonders of the outdoors far outweigh the risks. PS Naturalist and photographer Todd Pusser grew up in Eagle Springs. He works to document the extraordinary diversity of life both near and far. His images can be found at www.ToddPusser.com.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Cocktails & Costumes JOIN US IF YOU DARE
for a frightfully fun evening benefiting Task Force Dagger Special Operations Foundation
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COSTUME CONTEST, RAFFLES, & SILENT AUCTION TO RAISE THE SPIRITS!
SCAN FOR DETAILS & TICKETS $125 PER GUEST $1,500 SPONSOR TABLES Dinner, Drinks, & Dancing Task Force Dagger Special Operations Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) Nonprofit supporting wounded, ill, and injured U.S. Special Operations Command service members & their families
QUESTIONS? CONTACT ROBIN FOSKEY AT ROBIN.FOSKEY@TASKFORCEDAGGER.ORG WWW.TASKFORCEDAGGER.ORG PineStraw 55
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
GOLFTOWN JOURNAL
Get a Grip Connecting you and the club
By Lee Pace
Sam Snead struggled with putting yips for
PHOTOGRAPH FROM GOLF PRIDE
over half a century, trying side-saddle and mallet putters. Ernie Els suffered a horrific six-putt from 2 feet at the 2016 Masters, later blaming performance anxiety. And who around Pinehurst will ever forget Rory McIlroy missing two putts from inside 4 feet in the final three holes of the 2024 U.S. Open on Pinehurst No. 2? Who knows? Maybe a Reverse Taper Grip from Golf Pride, invented and designed in a lab on the outskirts of Pinehurst, might have helped. Since 2019, Golf Pride has operated out of its Global Innovation Center on land next to Pinehurst No. 8 that was conceived and shepherded from soup to nuts by company CEO Jamie Ledford. The company was founded in Akron in 1949 by a golfer named Thomas Fawick, who believed that molded rubber would offer better traction and durability than traditional leather. Fawick soon introduced the slip-on grip, revolutionizing the industry and creating the modern regripping market. The company was acquired by Eaton in 1968 and moved to North Carolina a year later, with operational headquarters in The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Southern Pines and a manufacturing plant in Laurinburg. The latter shut down in the early 2000s, and now some 50 million grips a year are produced out of company facilities in Thailand and Taiwan. Ledford, a golfer since his boyhood days in the Pacific Northwest, had a decade of experience as director of consumer products for Starbucks Coffee Company and in business development with Callaway Golf. Among his priorities on taking the Golf Pride presidency was to find a better home for the business, which operated out of a nondescript commercial structure off U.S. 15-501 in Southern Pines. Word got around town, and one day he got a phone call from an executive at Pinehurst Resort suggesting that some unused land along the entry road to Pinehurst No. 8 north of the village might be an idea for Golf Pride. The 36,000-square-foot facility combines traditional Pinehurst brick and wood architecture with a modern openoffice interior, with plenty of natural light and graphics displays that tell the company’s history. There are offices in one wing and a manufacturing operation in another, where ideas for new grips can be turned into workable prototypes within days. Most significantly to the public, there is a “retail lab” where golfers can bring their clubs and get fitted for new grips and watch as they’re installed. PineStraw 57
GOLFTOWN JOURNAL
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The company sought to make the process as easy and expedient as going to the barbershop and getting a haircut. “We’re here to innovate and create new grips,” Ledford says. “We built this facility as a bit of a statement of purpose for Golf Pride in the future. We’re 77 years old this year. But it’s really easy for a brand that’s 77 years old, that’s been number one for a long time, to just kind of focus on the past and lose its way. And this place is really built on what our future is. I’ve been pleased how it has rejuvenated Golf Pride and given us a whole new boost of energy.” Much of that energy has revolved around Ledford and his team energetically proselytizing on the marriage of hands and clubs, and expanding its product line with cutting-edge ideas. Its Align Technology uses ridges on the underside of the grip to help lock your hand placement for consistency. The MCC Grip is a hybrid that fuses moisture-wicking brushed cotton cord in the upper hand area for all-weather traction with high-performance rubber in the lower area for feel and responsiveness. “We just wanted it to be the single best place in the world to get your clubs regripped,” Ledford says. “Grips matter. The industry is built around clubheads and shafts and balls. But the grip is our only physical connection to all this other gear. It’s the most overlooked and unappreciated equipment category in golf. Golfers are making choices about what grips they want, much like running shoes for your feet.” The putter comes in at the finish line. Rolling a golf ball 8 feet on slippery grass with a slight break down a slope is the most sensitive action in the game. It’s where the marriage of hands and club is most important. “Putting is 100 percent feel,” says Bruce Miller, Golf Pride’s putter grip product manager. “The putter grip is your only connection. Putting is like a surgeon with a scalpel. It’s all about slow, smooth, deliberate motions and pace of stroke. The grip shape, size and taper absolutely have an effect.” The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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The Reverse Taper grip is the company’s best answer so far. The grip is thicker on the bottom, the concept being that the thicker lower area prevents the bottom hand from squeezing too tightly and leading to a wrist breakdown at impact. That taper configuration is opposite from a popular putter grip that is thicker at the top, thinner below. The research generated by Miller and his team showed that a high percentage of players isolated the issue to the lower hand, the one farthest from the shoulders. Feedback from golfers tested and quizzed was that the lower hand invited the most “flipping” or “yippyness,” and it was the lower hand that would misbehave and decelerate or “give it the gas” through impact. “We tried to zero in on the hands and think about the role that each of your hands plays in a good putting stroke,” Ledford says. “That led us to this counterintuitive place of making the bottom of the grip bigger, reversing the taper. Initially, we were a bit concerned about flipping convention on its head, but the user testing was so strong, we had to go with it, and it has been steadily building a following.” “By providing the player with more ‘meat on the bone’ in the lower part of the putter grip, it assisted them in evening out their hand pressure and avoiding the lower hand jumpiness,” Miller adds. You have to wonder what old Sam Snead would have made out of the Reverse Taper Grip. His putting woes were so gnarly he took to hitting a putt like you would a croquet ball — straddling the line of the putt (which led the USGA to outlawing that down-the-line stance in 1968). “I’ve gotten rid of the yips four times, but they hang in there,” Snead said. “You know those 2-foot downhill putts with a break? I’d rather see a rattlesnake.” PS Lee Pace has written about golf in the Sandhills for more than three decades from his home in Chapel Hill. Write him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him @ LeePaceTweet. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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October at Weymouth
The 2026-2027
October 8 • Jazz 6:00 Season pm Come Sunday continues!
Author Talk: Tarheel Terrors August 23: Brian Felix Trio with Liz Z Pardue October 25:
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Also, thisTue.,month at Weymouth Center: August 18: 2:00 pm
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At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
October 7 • 11:00 am Women of Weymouth October Meeting Sat., August 22: 10:00 am Hug-A-Horse October 17 • 5:00 pm Annual Fundraising Gala: One Wonderful Night Sat., August 22: 2:00 pm Music Lecture with Dr. Felix October 20 • 2:00 pm James Boyd Book Club: Hemlock Hollow, Culley Holderfield Scan the QR code for tickets Scan the QR code for tickets and additional information and additional information!
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October 2026 Like Windblown Sand No favorite fictional character comes to the forefront, though feature films open doors to other places open doors to other cuisine open doors to other rhythms. I do not long to list characters, because some actors could be left off like a burst of milkweed like the last unpicked apple like a raw peanut in the sun. I imagine watching the films — decades of them unwinding and rewinding over and over again. Who would not be remembered? Would the name be streaming on the wind like a movie? Now I offer these lines as an aching to know before too many minutes tick away like windblown sand.
— Lenard D. Moore
Lenard D. Moore was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2024.
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Story and Photographs by Todd Pusser 64 PineStraw
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I
n the fall of 2011, our family displayed one last, grand pumpkin show. It was an event that my parents still talk about to this day. That year, the autumn weather was glorious, filled with bright, warm sunny days and cool, crisp evenings. A full week was spent prepping the front yard for the throngs of people that would venture out to our rural Eagle Springs home just to see a display of carved pumpkins. These were not just any run-of-the-mill jack-o’-lanterns with triangular eyes and teeth, mind you, but pumpkins that glowed with the faces of popular cartoon characters, collegiate mascots, famous movie stars and wild animals. Bales of hay were stacked high across the front yard. Scarecrows were staked into the ground. And tiki torches lined the drive. A local farmer, Charles Martin, had kindly volunteered to grow us a crop of pumpkins on a portion of his property. We picked the pumpkins, an extra-large heirloom variety known as Mammoth Gold, from his dusty field the first week of October, and by the time Halloween weekend rolled around, I had carved over 200 of the giant gourds. Mammoth Gold pumpkins average around 40 pounds in weight and are bright orange. Their skin is relatively soft and pliable, making them much easier to carve compared to store-bought pumpkin varieties, like Sugar Pies or Connecticut Field pumpkins, which have thick skins, dense fibrous insides and long stems. Over 8,000 people visited the yard during the three nights that we displayed the pumpkins. People had traveled all the way from Greensboro and Fairmont just to see jack-o’-lanterns glowing beneath a star-filled sky. We asked that visitors donate cans of food for local charities, which they did by the truckload. It was the highlight of our year. Jack-o’-lanterns displayed on the front doorstep on Halloween night are as iconic as Christmas trees and baskets of Easter eggs. They are holiday symbols that have become fully ingrained in our American culture over the last 150 years. In her book Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon, author Cindy Ott notes that the first published image of a carved jack-o’-lantern appeared in an 1867 issue of Harper’s Weekly magazine. However, the origin story of jack-o’-lanterns takes place on the far side of the Atlantic, in the woodlands and moors of the Old World. Centuries ago, ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland celebrated the end of the harvest season in a festival known as Samhain. The festival commenced at sunset on Oct. 31 (Samhain’s Eve) and continued until sunset on the following day. During that first night of celebration, the Celts believed that the spirits of the dead would walk about the land, freely among the living. In order to ward off those restless souls, people would dress in frightening costumes and carve scary faces into root vegetables like turnips and potatoes. Originally cultivated in North America over 7,000 years ago, pumpkins, a type of winter squash, were at the time completely unknown to Europeans. They would not encounter pumpkins until much later, when the first Colonists arrived on our shores and discovered Native Americans growing the fruit (yes, pumpkins are scientifically a fruit and not a vegetable) as a crop. Among those early European settlers were Irish immigrants who brought with them the legend of Stingy Jack. Though countless versions of this tale have circulated through the centuries, all agree that Jack was an unlikeable character who had a penchant for tricking people. In one recurring tale, Jack even tricked the devil. Not one to trifle with, the devil banned Jack from hell when he died. Due to a lifetime of mischievousness and immorality, Jack had already been denied access to heaven. He was soon cursed to wander between both worlds for
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eternity, with only an empty turnip lantern to guide his way. Eventually, the devil felt pity for Jack and granted him a single ember of coal to light his lantern on his journey through purgatory. And the jack-o’-lantern was born. My fascination with carved pumpkins dates back to my earliest childhood days in Eagle Springs. Like most kids, I loved Halloween. I planned my costumes months in advance. Devouring Mary Janes and Bit O’Honey candies, as well as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, acquired from a night of tricks or treats was one of life’s great pleasures. To no surprise of anyone who knows me, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown was, and still is, my favorite TV show. So, when my parents took me to see a display of jack-o’lanterns at a local farm one crisp October night, I quickly became obsessed with the glowing gourds. The farmer, Otis Boroughs (who taught in Moore County schools for 30 years and would later become my driver’s ed teacher), grew a large field of pumpkins each summer near my grandmother’s house. Turns out Mr. Boroughs also had an artistic side. He would carve extraordinary scenes into the pumpkins he harvested and display them each and every Halloween night for all to see. People traveled from all parts of the state to see his magnificent jack-o’lanterns. Dozens and dozens of glowing pumpkins lined his yard and the loft of his old red barn. Everything from Mickey Mouse to Bugs Bunny and E.T. to the N.C. State wolf mascot were on display. One of his most popular was of a horse-drawn carriage, carved over multiple pumpkins, with Cinderella sitting inside. For a kid who loved to doodle and had notebooks full of The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
drawings of dinosaurs and snakes, I could not figure out how he had carved such intricate characters into the sides of the giant gourds. I would spend hours walking among his glowing creations as the aroma of baked pumpkin pie (from the candles burning inside) hung heavy in the cool, evening air. It was magical. For years, I pestered Mr. Boroughs to teach me how to artfully carve a pumpkin. Finally, one Saturday afternoon, after the fall harvest, he relented. I was around 10 years old at the time. That day in his workshop, surrounded by tools and tractors, he taught me the trick to great pumpkin carving. First, you must choose a pumpkin that fits the design that you have in mind. That day, I had brought with me some permanent markers to draw the Demon Deacon, the mascot of Wake Forest University — my dad’s favorite team — on the side of a pumpkin. Mr. Boroughs picked out a rather tall, oblong-shaped pumpkin that was able to stand upright on its own. It matched well with the long face of the Deacon. After a few minutes, I had completed my drawing. Next came the most important part, choosing the proper knife to carve out the design. Mr. Boroughs’ tool of choice was a 12-inch compass hand saw with a small metal handle. The narrow, finely serrated blade enabled him, and me, to work magic on a pumpkin. With that simple blade, I easily cut out the sharp corners and intricate patterns, like the eyes and bowtie, of the Demon Deacon. It was much easier to use than the large straight-edged blades I was accustomed to using when cutting out the stereotypical triangular eyes, nose and mouth of past jack-o’-lanterns. PineStraw 69
The crowning glory was when Mr. Boroughs placed a candle inside the pumpkin and turned off the lights in the workshop. The face of the Demon Deacon exploded to life, casting a golden glow throughout the tool hed. It was jaw-dropping. No doubt, this is what those early Irish immigrants felt when they put candles in those first pumpkins instead of turnips. With that afternoon’s pumpkin carving class fully embedded into my memory bank, I went on my way. That Halloween, I carved out a half-dozen jack-o’-lanterns, following the outlines of my hand-drawn designs, including a ghost and caricatures of Mickey Mouse and Godzilla. The only people to see them were my parents and grandmother. My father loved the Demon Deacon. Still, Mr. Boroughs insisted that I tell no one the secret sauce for carving extraordinary pumpkins. Throughout my teen years, Mr. Boroughs continued his annual display of jack-o’-lanterns, drawing ever larger crowds. His pumpkins were featured in newspapers and on local television stations. Despite being distracted by the usual teenage boy preoccupations of sports and girls, I made it a tradition to visit his farm each and every Halloween. But alas, all good things come to an end. Father Time finally caught up with Mr. Boroughs. The toll of tending a pumpkin field and carving over a hundred jack-o’-lanterns each year became too much, and he eventually closed his grand pumpkin show for good in the late 1990s. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. His pumpkin display had meant so much to the communities of Eagle Springs and Jackson Springs. The thought of local kids not experiencing the same kind of wonderment that I had experienced as a child viewing his marvelous jack-o’lanterns was simply too much to bear.
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After a couple years of dark Halloween nights, I decided to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Boroughs and create a pumpkin show of my very own, this time in the yard of my childhood home, just a few miles from his farm. The yard was just shy of 2 acres and could easily accommodate many pumpkins, as well as long lines of people. And that is exactly what I did for nearly a decade, culminating in that last pumpkin display in 2011. By that time, life and work had begun to take me far away from Eagle Springs. It became impossible to commit to the time necessary to produce such a large show, so I hung up my carving knives. Since then, things have changed dramatically. The secret sauce for great pumpkin carving is now readily available to everyone, with mass-produced pumpkin carving kits showing up on store shelves well before Labor Day. Countless online stencils, of every subject imaginable, can be downloaded and applied to pumpkins for easy carving. One can even buy artificial carving pumpkins so you can preserve your jack-o’-lantern for years to come. Mr. Boroughs passed away in 2024, at the ripe old age of 87. Eagle Springs farmer Charles Martin followed soon after, in February of this year. I am now a proud parent to a precocious 7-year-old girl named Ella. She has an artistic side herself. Every year, we try and make a point to carve at least one jack-o’-lantern for Halloween. Perhaps this year she will want to carve out a character from the hit K-Pop Demon Hunters since she is constantly singing the movie’s songs on the way to school. Or, after seeing Toy Story 5 this past summer, she may want to try a Buzz Lightyear. Or maybe, just maybe, I can convince her to carve a horsedrawn carriage with Cinderella sitting inside — for old times’ sake. PS
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Pines, ponies, porch swings and a stein full of Bavaria By Warren Henry Lewis • Photographs by John Gessner
Ben Lewis, Emily Von Cannon and Warren Henry Lewis at R ailhouse Brewery
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emember when we lived in a small town, the kind of place where you gave directions like “if you get to Red’s Exxon you’ve gone too far”? We’ve grown up some since then — a few more roundabouts, which I don’t want to discuss, a few more golf courses, and some great new neighbors up the road — but nothing’s touched the two things that matter most: the pine trees and our unshakable belief that any excuse to gather outside is a good one. In October, somewhere between the second julep and the third round of “who makes the best pimento cheese,” Moore County goes full Bavaria. So what if Munich’s version begins in the middle of September and runs until the first Sunday in October? At least we’re in the queue. For a few golden weekends, we swap the porch for the biergarten and nobody blinks. Bavaria gave the world lederhosen, oompah bands, and a beer stein you need two hands and a chiropractor to lift. We gave the world the steeplechase, the pine-shaded front porch, and a fierce, decades-long opinion about how to dress a pimento cheese sandwich. Different heritage, same instinct: get dressed up, stand in a field, toast to nothing in particular. By November we’re back to seersucker and sweet tea.
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We already gather by the thousands for a golf tournament and treat it like a religious observance. And we’ve been known to put on our finest tweed to watch horses jump over things. Adding a polka band and a plate of bratwurst to the calendar isn’t a stretch. It’s just one more excuse. None of this is new for us, if I’m honest. I’ve lived here long enough to watch the county become a little bit of everywhere. Retirees roll in chasing sunshine. Military families cycle through Fort Bragg, importing a piece of wherever they’ve come from. Golfers from around the world bring their love of the game and our community. Riders and trainers show up every autumn from as far away as Kentucky and overseas for horse country season. By now, Moore County isn’t really one thing, it’s a lot of things, filtered through tall pines and slow afternoons. A German beer garden is just the latest arrival at the party. I’ll admit the setting helps the illusion along. Bavaria has its Black Forest, dark and fragrant with fir. We’ve got the longleaf pines, and on a crisp evening at Weymouth Woods, with that turpentine smell in the air, it isn’t hard to squint and think you’re somewhere far grander and colder. Swap the fir for the longleaf, the alpine chill for a Sandhills breeze that still remembers summer, and you’ve got a passable Bavarian backdrop. Minus the yodeling. (Tell the truth, did you hear the Ricola ad in the back of your mind?) The village of Pinehurst throws its own Oktoberfest at Tufts Memorial Park. Kinderfest opens the evening — a couple of hours of music, crafts, bubble artistry and a nod to Halloween for the kids — before the grownups take over with German music, food and beverages that need no translation. It’s free, it’s friendly, and the crowd is exactly what you’d expect: a few actual dirndls, several ambitious attempts at lederhosen, golf carts neatly parked
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in rows, and a lot of people who simply came as themselves, beer stein in hand. There’s something wonderful about watching a man who spent his afternoon in seersucker switch by evening into suspenders and knee socks; or a woman who traded her sundress for a dirndl like she’d been doing it her whole life. The Sandhills needs no excuse to play dress-up. A bit down the road, Railhouse Brewery has been running an honest-to-goodness Oktoberfest for more than a decade. I go most years for the curry brats and stay for the hammerschlagen, which, if you’ve never seen it, is kinda like cornhole for people who enjoy hitting things with a hammer while a crowd of strangers cheers them on. There’s stein-holding too, which separates the casual reveler from the truly committed, and relay races that end, as most good ideas in the Sandhills do, with everyone a little out of breath and ready for another round. None of this makes us honest-to-God Bavarians, and I’m not claiming otherwise. What it makes us is a place willing to borrow a good time when we see one — take a festival built for beer halls and mountain villages, and set it down happily among the pines, the ponies and the porch swings. We’ve spent more than a century collecting traditions from elsewhere and making them feel like home: the hunt from England, golf from Scotland, sweet tea from points South, and now, on a crisp weekend each fall, a beer garden from Bavaria. Does life get any better than that? So pour something cold, find a polka you can stomp along to even if you can’t name it, and raise a glass to the strangest, most delightful thing about Moore County: We’ll find any excuse — horses, hounds or hops — to get dressed up, gather outside, and celebrate together. I hope my lederhosen still fit! Prost, y’all.
—
Let’s talk curry brats. Delicious. Pair them with a great stoneground mustard and my potato salad. Below is a recipe for the brats, but it’s really OK to pick them up in a good supermarket or meat market if you don’t want to make your own. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Yield: 12 sausages Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time
INGREDIENTS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
(It’s important to keep everything nice and cold while you’re making these or any sausage.)
Serve with sauerkraut, German mustard, my warm potato salad, grilled onions or crusty bread.
2 pounds (900 grams) ground pork, preferably 20–25 percent fat 1 1/2 tablespoons mild curry powder 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/2 cup cold beer, broth or water 2 tablespoons finely minced onion 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Sausage casings, if making links
DIRECTIONS 1) Chill the pork, mixing bowl and grinder parts until very cold. 2) In a small bowl, combine the curry powder, salt, coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion, brown sugar, Dijon mustard and nutmeg. 3) Add the seasoning mixture to the cold ground pork. Pour in the cold beer, broth or water. 4) Knead the mixture for 2–3 minutes, until it becomes sticky and holds together.
WARM POTATO SALAD 1 1/2 pounds red bliss potatoes, quartered 1 tablespoon blended oil 1/3 cup shallots, sliced into rings 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper Wash your potatoes well. Put them in a pot large enough to cover them with water by 2 inches. Add enough kosher salt until you can just barely taste the salt. Bring the water to a boil, and then lower to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until a bit more than fork tender, but not falling apart. Let’s multitask: at the same time, in a pretty large sauce pan, warm until the oil starts to shimmer. Add the shallots and garlic. While the shallots and garlic are slowly doing their thing, drain the potatoes. Now, toss the potatoes with the shallots and garlic. Toss them rough enough to kinda bust the potatoes up. Turn the heat off. Add the two vinegars, the butter and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Fry a small sample of the mixture in a skillet. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. 6) Cover and refrigerate the sausage mixture for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight. 7) Stuff the mixture into sausage casings and twist into links. Alternatively, shape it into patties. 8) To cook, place the bratwurst in a skillet with a small amount of water or beer. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes. 9) Remove the lid and continue cooking, turning often, until the bratwurst is browned and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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By Bill Case
T
here are 30 rooms, give or take, in the sprawling Boyd House, and if the walls of those rooms could talk, they would have plenty to say about the country manor’s storied literary history, especially the parade of renowned writers who graced the home as guests of James and Katharine Boyd long ago. The great room would remember a January morning in 1937 when the nonplussed Boyds found Thomas Wolfe (Look Homeward Angel, among other works) asleep on the sofa. Arriving in Southern Pines on the 4 a.m. train, Wolfe trudged uphill to the estate and, after finding the doors locked, gained entry by scrunching his 6-foot, 7-inch frame through an unlocked window. The cozy Boyd library witnessed the cringeworthy 1935 incident in which an overserved F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby, among other works) insultingly critiqued his host’s most recent novel. Boyd’s first historical novel, Drums, published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1925, was touted at the time as “the finest novel of the American Revolution that has yet been written.” The well-oiled Fitzgerald would pen a letter of apology. From 1932 until his untimely death in 1944, Boyd dictated his books while standing at the middle window at a built-in writing ledge in his second-floor study. From this elevated perch, he could gaze down on his foxhunting horses and hounds quartered nearby. Fifty-two years after his passing, the spacious study would become the home of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, the ultimate embodiment of Weymouth’s literary heritage. The walls of Boyd’s study speak with a decidedly bookish vibe, covered with photos and biographies of the 80 members inducted from its founding in 1996 through this October’s class of 2026. Revered by those who appreciate great writers and their works, the hall’s biennial induction ceremony at the Weymouth
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Center for the Arts & Humanities is an eagerly awaited date on the calendar. Though a fixture of the state’s literary scene for 30 years, the road to the Hall of Fame’s founding and location at Weymouth was full of twists and turns. The idea for a state literary Hall of Fame arose from a program adopted by the Library of Congress in 1977, called the “Center for the Book,” designed to “stimulate public interest in books, reading and libraries.” States were encouraged to participate in the project by centralizing their library and writing programs. National Book Week was initiated under this umbrella. In August 1992, North Carolina’s then-state librarian, Howard McGinn, proposed that North Carolina enact legislation to designate Southern Pines as the site of the state’s “Center for the Book.” McGinn also recommended that the proposed center house a newly created literary Hall of Fame for North Carolina. It would be the first of its kind in the country. His plan was tied to the availability of a specific building on Broad Street that, at the time, housed the Southern Pines Public Library. For the project to work, the existing library would need to be relocated. McGinn’s suggestion contemplated the construction of a new public library for Southern Pines at a vacant lot on Connecticut Street. He proposed that following the library’s move to new quarters, the old library would become the home of the Center for the Book and a Hall of Fame situated in the vaulted main reading room and “patterned after the Baseball or Football Halls of Fame.” The state librarian envisioned the hall attracting regional and national writing conferences and the performance of plays. The old library already possessed a connection to North Carolina’s literary heritage. In 1948, Katharine Boyd contributed funds to add a new wing to the building. It included the James Boyd Room, dedicated to her late husband. McGinn agreed with
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Etching of Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities by Denise Baker Southern Pines government officials that the town needed a new public library facility, but many citizens opposed moving from the charming old building designed by Aymar Embury II. They included Sam Ragan, the owner-editor of the town’s newspaper, The Pilot. An affirmative vote of the Town Council was required prior to any such move and, given that certain members of the council and the influential editor of the paper had misgivings, that approval was far from certain. Bolstered by McGinn’s support, the proposal to purchase the Connecticut Street property for the purpose of constructing a new library squeaked through the council by a 3 to 2 vote on February 10, 1993. With the prospect of his community (and the old library) becoming the epicenter of North Carolina literature, Sam Ragan jumped on board too. The soft-spoken son of Granville County tobacco farmers would become a tireless advocate for the project. With McGinn’s proposal for a Hall of Fame heading to the state legislature, Ragan used his formidable statewide influence to assure its passage. In addition to his own writing credentials, Ragan’s clout stemmed from his years as the executive editor of The News and Observer in Raleigh. A country gentleman nattily attired in a fedora hat and bowtie, Ragan was known and
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respected by North Carolina’s movers and shakers, especially those in state government. Diligently working his contacts, he persuaded key legislators to fast-track the resolution establishing the center and the Hall of Fame in Southern Pines. He arranged for the measure to be introduced under the name of Paul Green, author of The Lost Colony and a great friend of the Boyds. To explore potential financing for the project, Ragan, together with Marsha Warren, then executive director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network, met with the state’s Secretary of Cultural Resources Betty Ray McCain. She indicated her department would be in a position to make a one-time grant once the center became a reality; a figure of $100,000 was discussed. On July 23, 1993, the measure establishing Southern Pines and the old library building as the home for North Carolina’s Center for the Book and the literary Hall of Fame was passed by joint resolution of the House and Senate. According to its text, the placement of the center in Southern Pines would “build upon the significant contributions made by Sam Ragan and former Secretary of Cultural Resources Sara Hodgkins [who lived in Southern Pines] and the many other authors and journalists from North Carolina.” Southern Pines Mayor Alex Bowness said, “I am very thrilled PineStraw 77
The Former Southern Pines Library that everything is on track and the N.C. Center for the Book is becoming a reality.” In his Pilot editorial, Ragan expressed delight “that the present library building will not only be preserved but will become a distinguished statewide cultural site which is sure to attract nationwide visitors.” Town officials offered to lease the old library for a nominal amount, perhaps as little as $1 a year. But to run the center like a sports hall of fame, as envisioned by McGinn, more funds would be required. Marsha Warren, who in addition to managing the Writers’ Network was working hand-in-glove with Ragan to make the center and Hall of Fame a reality, recalls their mutual mindset on funding. “Sam and I were aware we could probably count on $100,000 from Betty Ray McCain’s department,” Warren remembers. “Betty was on board with granting the money to the Writers’ Network, because it was a 501(c)(3) organization qualified to receive the funding and manage the project. The grant would get the project started. We hoped Southern Pines might do more also. But we weren’t thinking too far ahead. We’d figure it out as we went.” The new Southern Pines public library building opened on July 5, 1995. Later that month, Ragan scheduled a tour of the vacant old library for attendees of the North Carolina Writers’ Conference at Weymouth. According to his editorial in The Pilot, the visitors “praised it for the excellent condition in which they found it and its special character and suitability for the Center and Hall of Fame.” But that same month, Sam expressed uneasiness regarding the direction of the project in correspondence with the town’s new mayor, Mike Fields. “I also hope that the Town of Southern Pines will take action immediately in the necessary steps to make this splendid program a reality,” wrote a concerned Ragan. “I will assist
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in any way I can. The potential for Southern Pines is so great it would be a tragedy to see the program falter through any delay.” But it did falter. By October 1995, it had become clear that occupancy of the old library by the Center for the Book and the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame was not going to happen. A Ragan editorial reported one explanation for the jettisoning: the town manager’s determination “that the old library was needed for space to locate several town agencies.” (It would eventually house the town’s utilities office.) Marsha Warren wrote about a second daunting concern — an inspecting engineer had estimated that, “it would cost, conservatively, $250,000 to bring the aging building up to code.” Warren, who was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2018, remembers that Ragan was “heartbroken” by the staggering estimate. “We knew raising that kind of money was beyond our reach,” she says. Without the old library, could the project be salvaged? Warren believed that it could. “Betty McCain indicated she was still prepared to grant the Writers’ Network $100,000 even if we had to scale back the project. With that assurance, we could abandon the larger undertaking of a Center for the Book and focus entirely on a literary Hall of Fame. And James Boyd’s studio at Weymouth was an obvious place to put it.” The term “Center for the Book” would become associated with State Library programming and not a specific physical location. Ragan welcomed the revised plan. After all, he had played a major role in forming the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, as well as saving the Boyd House from the wrecking ball in the 1970s. After McCain formally issued the $100,000 grant to the Writers’ Network in November 1995, Ragan began greasing the
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skids with the Weymouth Center board. His efforts resulted in a long-term lease between Weymouth and the Writers’ Network enabling the latter to operate and manage the Hall of Fame at Weymouth. The Writers’ Network tendered a one-time payment of $10,000 to Weymouth and agreed to reimburse its expenses for upkeep of the former Boyd study. After the financial niceties were resolved, it was determined that the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony would take place on May 18, 1996, beneath the flowering cherry trees on Weymouth’s grounds. Marsha Warren, with input from Ragan, took the laboring oar in addressing the details: the adoption of the hall’s mission statement; determining criteria for election; selection of judges; identifying presenters for the inductees; preparing written materials; staging the ceremony and the reception afterward. It was decided that the inaugural class should honor the state’s deceased literary figures. On March 13th, 1996, the judges announced their selections: James Boyd, Charles Waddell Chestnut, Jonathan Daniels, Inglis Fletcher, Paul Green, Bernice Harris, O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), George Moses Horton, Randall Johnson, Guy Owen, Thad Stem, Richard Walser, Manley Wade Wellman and Thomas Wolfe. A proud Ragan, who was scheduled to emcee the event, wrote a glowing editorial following the announcement. “Under the guidance of Marsha Warren and the Writers’ Network, the dream is quickly becoming a reality. . . . The first induction promises to be a lively affair.” The gathering turned out to be more poignant than spirited. During the month preceding the festivities, the 80-year-old Ragan’s health suddenly deteriorated. He passed away on May 11, one week before the inductions. His generous spirit and Sam Ragan unflagging support of the Hall of Fame were mentioned by virtually every speaker at the blisteringly hot ceremony, including newsman David Brinkley, who forwarded a moving video tribute. Ragan had given the famed broadcaster his first job in journalism, hiring Brinkley as a reporter for the Wilmington Star in the late 1930s. Ragan’s unflagging support for Weymouth and the Hall of Fame barely scrapes the surface of his literary interests. In addition to penning editorials and columns for The Pilot, he authored books of nonfiction and six volumes of verse. His poetry was lauded by Tom Wicker, a North Carolinian who worked at the New York Times, who noted, “It could only have been written out of a Tar Heel’s sense of place.” His poetic achievements (twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) led to Ragan being named the state’s poet laureate in 1982, a position he kept the rest of his life. Ragan also taught creative writing and journalism at local colleges and was a prime catalyst in establishing Weymouth’s The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Writers in Residence program in 1979. His writing colleagues began referring to Sam as North Carolina’s “Literary Godfather.” “Sam swam in many literary streams,” says poet and Weymouth board member Pat Riviere-Seel. “Bringing the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame to Weymouth allowed him to channel those streams into one big literary river.” Six writers were inducted in the Hall of Fame’s second year, 1997, including Ragan. His daughter, Talmadge Ragan, accepted on behalf of her father. After the 1998 ceremony inductions were scheduled every other year and, after three steamy ceremonies during which attendees wilted in the heat, the ceremony was moved to October. The number of judges who selected the inductees was fixed at 15. All were required to have a strong literary background. A candidate for induction must be a “North Carolina writer,” defined as someone who is, “significantly shaped by his or her time in the state; and/or (b) identified in the public’s mind as a North Carolinian; and/or (c) self-identified as a North Carolinian.” In 2008, the Writers’ Network approached other literary institutions and requested they collaborate with it and Weymouth in producing the induction ceremony and promoting the Hall of Fame. The Center for the Book at the State Library, the North Carolina Humanities Council, and the N.C. Collection of the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina all agreed to assist. The resulting collaboration reduced the out-of-pocket costs of the induction ceremony, helping to preserve the fund created by the Department of Cultural Resources grant. Ed Southern became the Writers’ Network’s executive director in 2008, a position he still holds. The 80 inductees to date have come from virtually every corner of literary life. They include short story master O. Henry; diverse poets like Ragan, Maya Angelou, George Moses Horton, and Shelby Stephenson; news journalists Jonathan Daniels and Tom Wicker; illustrator and children’s book author Glen Rounds; Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg; historian Wilbur J. Cash; newspaperman (and ambassador to the Court of St. James) Walter Hines Page; and iconic novelists Thomas Wolfe and Lee Smith. The five newest inductees — D.G. Martin, Shannon Ravenel, David Sedaris, Daniel Wallace and Michael Parker — are to be enshrined in the hall on October 4 and likewise hail from diverse literary backgrounds. D.G. Martin, who passed away last December, was the host of “North Carolina Bookwatch” on UNC-TV (now PBS NC). Martin was no softball questioner. He probed writers to find out what made them, and their books, tick. He also wrote a syndiPineStraw 79
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF WEYMOUTH CENTER FOR THE ARTS & HUMANITIES
1996 Literary Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
cated weekly column covering politics, cultural issues, and anything else occurring to his fertile mind. “D.G. had his finger in every pie,” says his close friend Ravenel. A graduate of Davidson College and Yale Law School, he practiced law in Charlotte before joining the University of North Carolina as its vice president for public affairs. A devotee of diners and cafés, Martin authored a chatty book on the subject, North Carolina’s Roadside Eateries. Shannon Ravenel’s literary journey involved editing and publishing. She provided invaluable exposure for numerous Southern writers, including several fellow Hall of Fame members. Following her graduation from Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, the Charleston, South Carolina, native worked for publishers in New York, Boston and St. Louis. She became editor of the annual anthology Best American Short Stories. In 1982, she partnered with her former English professor, Louis Rubin, to start Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (where she eventually moved), providing an important outlet for the work of Southern writers. Through Algonquin, Ravenel edited another annual short story anthology, New Stories from the South. Fellow Hall of Fame member Jill McCorkle will present Ravenel for induction. She will be
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returning a favor. It was Ravenel who presented McCorkle at her induction in 2018. Self-deprecating humorist David Sedaris became a national phenom after his uproarious comedic appearances on a Chicago radio program led to frequent gigs on National Public Radio. In his first NPR appearance, he read an essay titled “Santaland Diaries,” describing his job as a Christmas elf at Macy’s. That smash success led to Sedaris authoring sardonic essays for Esquire and The New Yorker. Several of his essay collections became New York Times bestsellers. His book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, describes many hilarious (though often mortifying) vignettes from his childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina. The book won the 2001 Thurber Prize for American Humor. In explaining why so much of the humor in his writings concerns his own misbegotten experiences, Sedaris says, “There are two types of people: those who pay to tell others about their problems, and those who get paid to tell others about their problems. I prefer to be in the latter group.” Sedaris has resided in Paris, London and New York City, but he retains a seasonal presence in North Carolina, vacationing in Emerald Isle. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Daniel Wallace was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended college at UNC-Chapel Hill, but left school early because his father, owner of an import/export company doing business in Japan, persuaded his son to join him in that enterprise. By Wallace’s own admission, his employment in Japan was a bust. Returning to Chapel Hill, he worked in a bookstore and began writing novels. His first five efforts were summarily rejected by publishers, but his sixth, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, became a bestseller and was made into a movie directed by Tim Burton. A 2008 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, he teaches creative writing at his alma mater. Of his ill-fated employment in Japan — as well as the rejection of his early novels — Wallace says, “Sometimes, failure is not failure. Perhaps I never would have figured out I could be a writer if Japan had worked out. And the many mistakes in my rejected novels taught me what not to do.” A product of rural North Carolina, Michael Parker was born in Siler City and grew up in Clifton. His father was a newspaper editor and his mother a teacher. As a schoolboy, Parker woke at 4:30 a.m. to deliver newspapers. His short fiction has resulted in his winning three O. Henry Awards. He has also authored seven
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novels, including The Watery Part of the World, a haunting tale set on a nearly deserted barrier island off the coast of North Carolina. The book contains an element of historical fiction — the supposed survival of Theodosia Burr, Vice President Aaron Burr’s daughter, lost at sea in 1812. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill Parker taught in the MFA writing program at UNC-Greensboro for nearly 30 years. He lives in Durham. “The fact that this state treasures writers so much, particularly in an era when our culture does not support and promote the arts as much as it once did, makes receiving the award especially fulfilling,” he says. When the new inductees climb the stairs to Boyd’s study they may linger at the bronze bust of Sam Ragan, the man most responsible for making the Hall of Fame a reality. As Marsha Warren wrote in her foreword to Lewis Bowling’s book Sam Ragan: North Carolina’s Literary Godfather, the founding of the literary Hall of Fame was “Sam’s last and greatest gift to the state.” They’ll also find new photographs on display — their own — giving the walls more stories to share. PS Pinehurst resident Bill Case is PineStraw’s history man. He can be reached at billcasewrites@gmail.com.
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STORY OF A HOUSE
Cape Cod Soul Heartwarming highlights on a Southern shore By Hazlette Huskins • Photographs by John Gessner
C
hris and Kerrie Szczuka grew up in the small Massachusetts towns of Salem and Holyoke, respectively, and when they began to search for a place to settle down as a young family, they managed to combine her love for rural farmland with his desire for proximity to the coast. Newburyport fit the bill, an hour north of Boston, where they could take their three kids — Jack, Craig and Emma — for activities and lessons. As an engineer with a firm that has offices nationwide, Chris eventually decided to look at other locations to call home, and they honed in on the Research Triangle. With what they considered a God wink to their plans, they relocated to Apex and settled into Salem Village.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
In 2020, they began looking for lake property and, impressed with the clear Moore County lakes, eventually found the perfect lakefront lot in the Seven Lakes West neighborhood. At just over an acre, it gently slopes toward the waterfront with a long-distance view across the broadest part of the lake. They visited occasionally, bringing their boat to check out neighboring lakeside properties, and saw several places that reflected the New England style they are so fond of. While their youngest child was in high school in 2023, they began the construction process so that it would be completed once they were ready to move. With the help of Susan Arciero Interiors, they began designing the home around a few basic principles: cedar shake siding PineStraw 83
was a must, a gable roof line to create a little more interest, and a main floor that would feature one-level living just for them. Dreading the thought of passing empty children’s rooms as they went about their day, they created a separate area for the (now grown) kids to feel at home, even in a new build in a new town. Ascending to the small cluster of rooms upstairs feels like entering a pilothouse overlooking the most magnificent view of the lake. With a family of tennis enthusiasts, Kerrie decorated a small sitting area at the top of the stairs with some memorabilia, including her childhood racket and tennis balls from both the French and Australian Opens. No space is wasted, even along the staircase wall where book club progress is measured spine by spine along a narrow shelf. With the help of K. P. Quality Builders, they thought ahead with smart details like an upper
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level closet that could one day be easily converted to an elevator. Downstairs, the breakfast nook accommodates a crowd, with built-in upholstered benches around a custom-built dining table Chris commissioned from Oak City Customs in Raleigh. A favorite painting adorns one wall and ties in the colors from the rest of the home. Created by a former neighbor in Massachusetts, it is a treasured piece that invokes the memory of a Cape Cod beach where the family spent time when the kids were young. Continuing the creamy wall color with a similar hue in cabinetry, the kitchen wows in its simplicity. Gingham-wrapped books of favorite recipes were gifts from the kids that stand on a countertop, while the beginnings of a teapot collection fill the glass-front cabinets along the ceiling — proudly representing Ireland, England, their wedding day, and soon, a piece from China. LA Cabinets The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
in West End created the kitchen cabinets and matching living room built-ins, with rattan inserts to disguise speakers, as well as the storage cabinets with floral cut-out detail in the mud room. Tucked behind barn doors, Chris has a home office that allows for focus when necessary, and a spectacular view of the glistening lake when a break is needed. A few creative and heartwarming highlights are found in unsuspecting places, such as the wallpaper. The piano room just off the foyer is partially covered in an enlarged Nav Chart Art map of Newburyport, with stars indicating the places they called home during their time there. Another way of preserving the family’s past is displayed in the walk-through pantry. With a nostalgic nod to the sitcom Who’s the Boss?, one of the doors had to be swinging, and both have porthole windows to let light pass through.
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At first glance you notice a display of Kerrie’s grandmother’s blue and white Currier & Ives china. On the wall itself, you discover a recipe in her grandparents’ handwriting, enlarged and printed onto a wallcovering. Her Italian grandmother lived on a lake in New Hampshire where Kerrie spent much of her summers growing up, and this nook honors her in a unique way. The lower level with direct access to the backyard and the lake beyond is a vast space designed for late-night hangouts and leisure activities. The shower was extended to accommodate the family’s two golden retrievers, Alice and Maggie, who often come home soaking wet from a swim. Outside, the couple formed a mini beach area complete with chairs and an umbrella. Their boat, fittingly named Waggin’ Wheel, sits at the head of the inlet and admires each sunset across a 1 1/2 nautical mile stretch of Lake Auman. A standout feature is the cupola above the garage with a whale weathervane atop, lovingly called Winnie the Whale. While Winnie seems to have been purchased specifically for this house, she came from Newburyport and has been watching over the family for 18 years, at one time residing on a stake in their Apex yard. She appears right at home after her latest and final move. The couple incorporated pieces that reflect traditional New England style and stayed true to the origin of certain items, including wood canoe paddles from Maine-based Shaw & Tenney that hang high on the living room wall. A New York artisan, The Carving Company, created the hand-carved wooden exterior house sign that hangs over the front door and mirrors its color. Presented with numerous shades of blue paint options, Kerrie decided to flip the samples over to The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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read the names instead. Newburyport Blue was staring back at her and the door’s fate was sealed. Chris and Kerrie love the natural cedar shake siding that adorns the facade and, faithful to the Nantucket style they adore, intend to let it age gracefully. It lends an unpretentious welcome that greets you at the Dutch front door, perfect for the two pups to keep an eye on passersby. This custom home has packed so much charm and love for family into its walls that it immediately has a sense of place. It was built at a time when their family had begun to scatter — more far than near — for their next stages in life, and has established a refreshing place to relax, recharge and reconnect in a home that embraces old memories, new friends, and life by the water. PS Hazlette Huskins is a native North Carolinian, international business graduate of UNC Wilmington, real estate broker, children’s book author and an Arts Council of Moore County Fine Arts Festival award recipient.
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A L M A N A C
October By Ashley Walshe
I
n October, life and death walk hand in hand, giggling. Can you hear them through the crisp breeze? The eddies of fallen leaves? Press your ear to pine bark and hear the sap slow. Acorns drop to the earth like runes tossed upon a casting cloth. Gray squirrels scramble to secure an unknown future. The crows blurt their dismal premonitions. Frost! Silence! Death! Rot! Yes, it’s all coming. And yet, the squirrels build their caches; the crickets are still singing; earthworms and fungi hum of alchemy and fertile soil. All of life weaves itself into the endless fabric of existence — even through death. Become food. Become earth. Become eternal. And on this day, when the sky is blue and sunlight transforms colors to exalted states, become acutely aware of this fleeting moment. Cascades of crimson maple leaves. Kaleidoscopes of monarchs. Murmurations of starlings. Here and gone — at least from sight — in a brisk autumnal flash. At once, a crow cracks a nut with its sleek, sharp beak. Woodpecker tucks them into dead, damp trees. A squirrel buries a soon-to-be-forgotten reserve where, weeks from now, an acorn will sprout a taproot. The orb weavers spin their final webs, wrapping their eggs in tear-shaped sacs of silk. Can you hear the laughter now? Life! Death! the crows chant. Rebirth! The light is fading; the air smells of musk and mischief; the tapestry continues to surprise and delight.
The Autumn Cauldron (with apologies to Shakespeare) Hoot of owl and hush of frog, caw of crow and whiff of dog . . . The autumn cauldron bubbles. Can you smell it? The richness of wet earth and fallen leaves; the punch of stink bug and walnut husk; the heavy musk of slow decay? Add to that the woody depth of warming spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and clove. Now, throw in some texture. The howl of coyote and wind. The crackle of fire. Dried corn stalks, wine-colored berries, pine sap, turtle shell and bone. Sweeten with pumpkin and apple. Brighten with blue skies and luminous foliage. Deepen with red wigglers, spoiled fruit and mushroom spores. Double, double, watch it bubble.
The maple tree in front of the doorstep burned like a gigantic red torch. The oaks along the roadway glowed yellow and bronze. The fields stretched like a carpet of jewels, emerald and topaz and garnet. Everywhere she walked the color shouted and sang around her. — Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Oak + Squirrel Forever Nothing like the gentle thuds of acorns raining down upon the quietly turning earth. Did you know that a single gray squirrel will scatter-hoard up to 10,000 of them over the course of one season? And fail to unearth roughly three-quarters? Oak knows. That’s a lot of potential — entire forests — safely cradled by the wet, dark soil. The squirrels eat their fill. The oak trees continue their wild giving. The seeds of life sleep underground, patiently awaiting the return of spring. PS The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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Restaurant Guide. From leisurely brunches and casual bites to lively pubs, food trucks and unforgettable experiences, discover some of the best food, drinks and ambience our community has to offer.
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WHERE SOUTHERN PINES GATHERS A local institution, The Bell Tree Tavern is where Southern Pines comes to eat, drink and unwind. Located in the heart of downtown, this beloved American restaurant and bar offers a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere with something for everyone. Enjoy a spacious dog-friendly outdoor patio, perfect for weekend brunches, weeknight dinners, or catching the big game on the large-screen TVs. The menu features handcrafted American cuisine with local flair — signature burgers, fish and chips, smoked brisket, wings and fresh salads. The Bell Tree is known for its vibrant live music every weekend, rotating drink specials and exciting themed events throughout the year. Whether you’re a local or just passing through Moore County, you’ll find a unique mix of comfort, community and entertainment in every visit. Book your table and experience where the region gathers for good food, great drinks and unforgettable nights.
THE BELL TREE TAVERN 155 NORTHEAST BROAD ST • SOUTHERN PINES 910-725-1529 • THEBELLTREETAVERN.COM
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Cheese Curds
WHERE TACOS AND GOOD TIMES TAKE FLIGHT Wisco Taco Foxtrot is more than another restaurant, it’s truly a place to gather, relax and have a little fun. With globally inspired tacos, Wisconsin favorites, creative cocktails and a playful aviation-inspired atmosphere, Wisco Taco Foxtrot brings plenty of personality to the Sandhills. The fun continues beyond the menu with special community events, games and live music on the patio — making this an easy spot for a fun night out with friends or family. When it’s time to celebrate on a bigger level, Wisco Taco Foxtrot offers indoor and outdoor spaces for private gatherings. They would love to host your next retirement celebration, holiday party or other special occasion. Now open for lunch and dinner every day of the week, there are even more reasons to stop by. Come for the tacos and cocktails, but stay for the good times. At Wisco Taco Foxtrot, there’s always a reason to linger a little longer.
Bratwurst
WISCO TACO FOXTROT 300 CAPITAL DR | SOUTHERN PINES WISCOTACOFOXTROT.COM
Frequent Flyer Churros
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GATHER, DINE AND UNWIND AT PINE NEEDLES From intimate evenings to special-occasion gatherings, dine or cater with Pine Needles Lodge. Enjoy elevated dining in The Crest Lounge and Dining Room, where classic ambiance, thoughtfully crafted dishes and a robust wine selection define the experience. For dining before and after your round, the In The Rough Lounge offers breakfast, lunch and dinner in a cozy atmosphere with a welcoming fireplace — perfect for a drink or relaxed meal.
PINE NEEDLES 1005 MIDLAND RD • SOUTHERN PINES 800-747-7272 • PINENEEDLESLODGE.COM
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Smoked Beef Cheeks
MEMPHIS SOUL, CAROLINA SMOKE Blue Suede BBQ may arrive on four wheels, but there’s a whole lot more behind the scenes. Started through Memphis tradition, but firmly planted in the Sandhills, Blue Suede BBQ brings a different perspective to barbecue that you may not be expecting. Barbecue is a culture, a craft and a way to bring people together. That passion is clearly displayed by owner Chris Loschiavo. It shows in every carefully smoked cut of meat, scratch-made sauces and handcrafted sides. From Memphis-style dry rub to Carolina Gold and East Carolina vinegar and more — Blue Suede BBQ embraces the fact that barbecue means something different to everyone. They also offer catering for everything from casual gatherings to special events. Whether it’s a family get-together or larger celebration like a wedding, Blue Suede BBQ brings the same dedication to quality meats to every event. Proving great food and great barbecue is meant to be shared.
FOLLOW THE TRUCK
BLUE SUEDE BBQ 910-742-0416 • BLUESUEDEBBQ.COM Brisket & Pimento Cheese Cannolis
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ROOTED IN THE LAND, SERVED AT THE TABLE Pinehurst Resort’s continued evolution in its dining offerings is again felt with the opening of Wiregrass, a warm and inviting farm-to-table restaurant inside the Resort’s historic clubhouse. Rooted in North Carolina’s agricultural heritage and inspired by Pinehurst’s own history, Wiregrass celebrates the farmers, ranchers, creameries, fisheries and more that define the region’s culinary landscape. The restaurant brings a true sense of place to the dining experience, showcasing ingredients and traditions connected to Pinehurst, the Sandhills and North Carolina. Local favorites, from tomatoes and peaches to regional cheeses, are thoughtfully incorporated into dishes that feel both familiar and fresh. Historical archives also provided inspiration, helping bring elements of Pinehurst’s past into a modern dining experience. With its focus on exceptional food, regional sourcing and a genuine connection to the Sandhills, Wiregrass offers guests another way to experience the character of Pinehurst beyond the golf course.
WIREGRASS DINNER SERVICE DAILY: 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM BAR OPEN DAILY: 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM 866-966-5685 (OPTION 6)
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Caprese with Fried Green Tomatoes
Drum & Quill Classic Pub - Modern Fare
A COZY VILLAGE PUB WITH LOCAL FLAVOR
Chicken and Waffles
Nestled in the heart of the village, Drum & Quill is far more than just a favorite watering hole — it blends cozy pub charm with exceptional food and drink. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, Drum & Quill serves up American Southern Fusion cuisine with dishes like crab cakes, chicken and waffles, blackened mahi tacos and the everpopular Alpine Burger that showcase the restaurant’s creative twist on comfort food classics. And Drum & Quill sources many of its ingredients from local partners including Pinehurst Olive Oil Company, The Bakehouse and Lazy Fox Lavender Farm. As a true “public house,” Drum & Quill offers an intentionally intimate space — warm, welcoming and filled with character. Guests can unwind with the largest selection of spirits in the area, alongside a rotating, seasonal cocktail menu and live music every weekend.
DRUM & QUILL 40 CHINQUAPIN RD • VILLAGE OF PINEHURST 910-295-3193 • DRUMANDQUILL.COM SUN - THURS: 11:00 AM TO 11 PM • FRI - SAT: 11:00 AM TO 1:00 AM
Alpine Burger
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COME EAT AND SHOP AT THIS HISTORIC LOG CABIN! The Sandhills Woman’s Exchange (SWE) was founded in 1922 in response to the hardship and isolation faced by women in the rural Sandhills region of North Carolina. Inspired by the Federation of Woman’s Exchanges — a national movement begun in the 1830s to help women earn income — Katherine Tuckerman, Molly Lovering and Darthea Cowgill recognized a way to support local women by offering an outlet to sell handmade goods and home-cooked foods. Today, the SWE continues to operate as a nonprofit shop, a café serving lunch and gathering place, supporting artisans and preserving the legacy of “helping others help themselves”. With only 2 paid staff, volunteers offer their help, skills, times, talents and financial support. Step back in time... peruse the wares and savor homemade in-house selections in the Cabin Café.
THE SANDHILLS WOMAN’S EXCHANGE MON-FRI 10AM - 3PM • FEBRUARY - MAY AND SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 15 AZALEA RD., PINEHURST • 910-295-4677 • SANDHILLSWE.ORG
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A PASTURE TO PLATE MISSION COMES TO LIFE Rediscover the joy of the dining experience, expertly crafted with local flavors at Bounty Farmhouse Kitchen and Tap. Experience farm to table like you never have before. At Bounty Farmhouse Kitchen and Tap, they source as much as possible from local farms to bring you the highest quality ingredients you can trust. Their chefs take custom-cut meats from their own butcher shop in Chatham County and craft unique flavors from a variety of locally sourced ingredients. Pair your favorite dish with a handcrafted beer from their brewery for a dining experience rooted in local flavor. The agricultural heritage of our community comes to life as Bounty connects you directly to the source with bold flavors, trusted ingredients, and an honest meal you are sure to enjoy.
BOUNTY FARMHOUSE KITCHEN & TAP 377 CAROLINA GRN PKWY • SOUTHERN PINES 910-725-2705 • BOUNTYNC.COM
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Chicken Satay Skewers
A TABLE FOR EVERYONE At Table on the Green, variety is part of the experience. This women-owned Pinehurst restaurant brings Thai and American favorites together under one roof, creating a menu where everyone at the table can find something to love. A few of their specialties include pad Thai and curries to burgers, sandwiches, bulgogi and Sunday brunch favorites.
Duck Curry
Set alongside beautiful green views at Midland Country Club, Table on the Green offers a relaxed setting for everyday dining, celebrations and everything in between. Private rooms make it easy to gather for birthdays, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and other special occasions — while the restaurant’s catering services bring its flavors to celebrations throughout the community. Best of all, you don’t have to be a member to pull up a chair. Table on the Green is open to the public and ready to welcome you.
TABLE ON THE GREEN Korean Beef Bulgogi Bowl
2205 MIDLAND RD • PINEHURST 910-295-4118 • TABLEONTHEGREENRESTAURANT.COM
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SMOKED LOW. FLAVOR HIGH. Come hungry and leave happy at Embers BBQ, where Chef/ Owner David Bungarz turns a lifelong passion for BBQ into seriously delicious food. From fall-off-the-bone ribs and pulled pork to smoked burgers and brisket, every bite is packed with flavor and served alongside homemade favorites. Great BBQ. Homemade sides. A whole lot of heart. And through its community meal program, Embers is giving back and helping make our community a better place — one meal at a time. You don’t need a silver spoon to eat good food. We actually prefer you use your hands. So…let’s eat and be happy together.
EMBERS BBQ 130 SW BROAD STREET • SOUTHERN PINES 910-684-0330 • FACEBOOK.COM/EMBERS-BBQ
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Bistro Prime Dip
WE’VE GOT A TABLE WAITING FOR YOU There’s something special about a small, locally owned restaurant where quality matters and familiar faces greet you every time you walk through the door. At Midland Bistro, the focus is simple — quality ingredients, consistently delicious food and genuinely friendly service.
Quiche Florentine
It’s the kind of place where you’ll spot the same smiling faces who learn your name and anticipate your coffee refill. Ingredients are sourced locally whenever possible, like fresh bread and coffee roasted down the road in Aberdeen. From breakfast to brunch and lunch, every dish is made with care, creating the comfortable and welcoming experience that keeps locals coming back. When the weather is nice, outdoor seating offers an inviting opportunity to dine al fresco. And for those looking to make brunch a little more celebratory, mimosas and other alcoholic beverages are also available. At Midland Bistro, you’ll find fresh food, familiar faces and a table that always feels welcoming.
MIDLAND BISTRO Belgian Banana Waffle
2160 MIDLAND RD • SOUTHERN PINES 910-420-1030 • MIDLANDBISTRO.COM
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AWARD-WINNING STEAKS AND SO MUCH MORE Beefeaters is a cherished Southern Pines landmark that has stood the test of time. For over 25 years, this beloved establishment has been serving up mouthwatering steaks, burgers, seafood, salads and nightly specials that keep diners coming back for more. Owner Will Faircloth is deeply committed to food quality, never compromising it for cost. He upholds rigorous standards for every cut of beef and ensures that the cooking process delivers a consistently exceptional steakhouse experience. Come discover why Beefeaters has been voted Best Steak for 11 Years in a row!
BEEFEATERS 672 SW BROAD ST • SOUTHERN PINES 910-692-5550 • BEEFEATERSOFSOUTHERNPINES.COM
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Vallarta Taco
SOME MEALS SATISFY A CRAVING. OTHERS CREATE AN EXPERIENCE. At Casa Santa Ana, the vibrant flavors, colors, and traditions of Mexico come together in a dining experience that is as inviting as it is memorable. Family-owned and proudly serving the Moore County community for more than 13 years, Casa Santa Ana has become a local favorite for authentic Mexican cuisine, fresh ingredients and genuine hospitality. Every dish is prepared with care and inspired by the rich culinary traditions of Mexico. From the indulgent Andrianna Burro and the signature Santa Ana ACP, to the refreshing Shrimp Cocktail and flavorful Vallarta, there is something to tempt every palate. Andriana Burro Shrimp Cocktail
But Casa Santa Ana is about more than great food. It is about gathering around the table, sharing conversation, celebrating special occasions, or simply enjoying a delicious meal with family and friends. With locations in Seven Lakes and Pinehurst, you don’t have to travel far to experience the authentic flavors of Mexico. Come for the flavor. Stay for the experience. Leave with a taste of Mexico you’ll want to savor again.
Pinehurst Location
Santa Ana ACP
CASA SANTA ANA 211 CENTRAL PARK AVE., UNIT A • PINEHURST • 910-215-8010 OR 168 GRANT ST. • SEVEN LAKES • 910-673-1276
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CHEF-DRIVEN AMERICAN FARE IN A COMFORTABLE, CASUAL ATMOSPHERE
Loaded Nachos
At Chapman’s Food & Spirits, you’re invited to slide up to the copper penny bar and try one of their delicious cocktails. If you prefer al fresco dining, bask in the sunshine on the patio and enjoy a unique spin on fresh, homemade comfort food such as their famous Bacon Jam Burger and the beer-batter Haddock and Fries. If you’re looking for something to share, the Cajun Crawfish Fries are a must-try. These crispy fries are smothered in chipotle cream sauce and loaded with flavorful crawfish. It’s a local staple that’s wicked good!
Risotto del Giorno
Chapman’s menu offers something for everyone, and every dish is cooked to order. Join them daily for lunch and dinner and experience the best of Chapman’s in a comfortable, casual atmosphere.
Classic Burger
CHAPMAN’S FOOD & SPIRITS 157 EAST NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE. • SOUTHERN PINES 910-246-0497 • CHAPMANSFOODANDSPIRITS.COM
Cajun Crawfish Fries
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Spring Rolls
A TASTE OF THAILAND IN OLMSTED VILLAGE At Thai Fusion Cuisine, authentic Thai cooking meets warm, family-style hospitality. The restaurant is locally owned and serves up their own family recipes. The dishes at Thai Fusion Cuisine go beyond the ordinary, with beautiful presentation and the kind of friendly service that keeps guests coming back.
Pad Thai
The relaxed Thai-inspired dining room makes it easy to settle in for lunch or dinner. Diners can enjoy a favorite beer, wine or cocktail while savoring a great meal. Pick up and delivery orders are also an option, and Thai Fusion caters gatherings large and small. Open daily for lunch and dinner, Thai Fusion Cusine invites the community to come as they are, enjoy a great meal and feel like part of the family.
Shrimp Curry
THAI FUSION CUISINE Mango and Sticky Rice
211 CENTRAL PARK AVE • PINEHURST 910-420-8738 • THAIFUSIONCUISINE.COM
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A WORK OF CRAFT-BEHIND EVERY PLATE At Roast Farm to Table Sandwich Market, every meal is built on care, craft, and community. Owner and Executive Chef Matt Delle locally sources North Carolina ingredients in every dish celebrating the connection of farm to table. Meats from North Carolina farms and produce that follows the rhythm of local seasons. Every plate reflects commitment to sustainability, freshness, and thoughtful preparation. Fresh, Local, and Made for You - Elevated Eats free from preservatives, antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs. Treat yourself and your family to food that truly nourishes. Seasonal Ingredients. Local Roots. Honest Flavor.
ROAST TYLER’S RIDGE SHOPPING CENTER • SOUTHERN PINES 910-725-7026 • ROASTNC.COM
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Soft Shell Crab
SEASONALLY INSPIRED, LOCALLY ROOTED At Elliotts on Linden, they know great food has the power to bring people together. Family-owned and deeply rooted in the community, Elliotts takes pride in creating thoughtfully crafted dishes inspired by North Carolina’s rich bounty of seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. The menu evolves with the seasons, offering an inviting selection of expertly prepared meats, fresh seafood, and flavorful vegetarian dishes. From craft cocktails to a carefully curated wine selection, every detail is thoughtfully chosen to complement the experience.
Fish Feature
Whether you’re marking a milestone, celebrating a birthday or anniversary, gathering with friends, or simply looking for a memorable meal, Elliotts on Linden offers a welcoming setting for every occasion. Come for the food, stay for the company, and leave with memories worth sharing. At Elliotts, dining is more than a meal — it’s a celebration of good food, good friends and the community we call home.
Magret Duck
ELLIOTTS ON LINDEN Crudo Bar
905 LINDEN ROAD • PINEHURST, NC 910.215.0775 • ELLIOTTSONLINDEN.COM
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FRESH. LOCAL. LEGENDAIRY. Ooey-Gooey Deliciousness Menu Fresh-Baked Cookies: Quality ingredients, scratch-made and baked on-site — powered by butter, sugar and small-town love. Ice Cream Treats: From custom ice cream sandwich combos to warm-cookie boats and classic scoops, these treats create legendairy memories. Events & Catering: Birthday parties, weddings, school events, corporate gatherings. They bring the cookie truck, you bring the people — your neighborhood’s favorite sugar rush.
COOKIES & MOORE 910-528-8293 • COOKIESNMOORENC@GMAIL.COM
EXPERIENCE FINE DINING AT A DIFFERENT SCALE. Ironwood is a contemporary American bistro featuring thoughtfully crafted steak and seafood dishes with creative touches, complemented by great cocktails and a welcoming atmosphere. Family-owned and deeply rooted in the community, Ironwood has built a lasting legacy as a local destination for excellent food, genuine hospitality and memorable dining experiences. With outdoor seating and spacious dining for large groups Ironwood offers a versatile setting for everything from a relaxed dinner to a special celebration. For years, their commitment to quality, service and community has made Ironwood a place where guests return not only for the food, but for the experience and the familiar feeling of being welcomed back.
IRONWOOD 2176 MIDLAND RD, PINEHURST, NC 28374 (910) 255-0000 • IRONWOODPINEHURST.COM
rts
OCTOBER 2026
ntertainment
To add or delete an event, email us at pinestraw.calendar@gmail.com
Although conscientious effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, all events are subject to change and errors can occur! Please call to verify times, costs, status and location before planning or attending any events.
ARTS COUNCIL OF MOORE COUNTY OPENING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 SCARECROW STROLL. 4:30 p.m. The Scarecrow Stroll opens with a kickoff event and reception. Then visitors can walk through the gardens all month long and enjoy festive scarecrow creations. The stroll will end on Oct. 24 with a Halloween event and native plant sale. Ball Visitors Center, 3245 Airport Road, Southern Pines. Info: www.sandhills.edu/ gardenevents. LIVE MUSIC. 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Mountain Creek Connections Bluegrass performs live. Free of charge. Starworks Cafe & Taproom, 100 Russell Drive, Star. Info: www.StarworksNC.org.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 FIRST FRIDAY. 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The American funk and soul band, The Psycodelics, take the First Bank Stage on the green space next to the Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. The usual rules apply — the pooch and the hooch stay at home. There are solid and liquid refreshments for sale. For more info go to www.sunrisetheater.com. OPENING RECEPTION. 6 - 8 p.m. The Arts Council’s exhibit, Driven Beauty, celebrates car culture through art. The exhibit is on display through Oct. 30. Arts Council Galleries at Campbell House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.mooreart.org.
Exhibit: Driven Beauty 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines Friday, October 2 6-8 p.m.
are invited to a monthly themed craft event at the library to socialize and get creative. Geared toward ages 3 - 10. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.vopnc.org.
Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net.
MET OPERA. 1 p.m. Cosi Fan Tutte. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater.com.
HALLOWEEN BOO-TIQUE. 4 - 6:30 p.m. Find your next Halloween look at our free costume shop. Stop by to browse gently used costumes, accessories and dress-up items for all ages. Kids can enjoy a simple craft while they visit. No registration required. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
CERAMIC WORKSHOP. 1 - 3 p.m. Makeyour-own ceramic mug workshop. Starworks, 100 Russell Drive, Star. Info: www.StarworksNC.org.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
WRITING GROUP. 3 p.m. Are you interested in creating fiction, nonfiction, poetry or comics? Come to the Sunday Afternoon Writing Group. Connect with other writers and artists, chat about your craft, and get feedback about your work. All levels welcome. Info: lholden@sppl.net.
CRAFT DAYS. Children and families can come by the library for a drop-in craft day to work on a fun, hands-on craft at their own pace. Crafts are designed for children in grades K - 5 and their families. This is a self-guided activity, so caregivers should plan to assist as needed. While supplies last. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
QUILTS OF VALOR. 12 - 4 p.m. Quilts of Valor meets the first Monday of each month to create lap quilts made especially for veterans. If you sew, bring your machine; if you don’t sew, you can iron or cut out fabrics for new designs. This is a free program. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End.
AUTUMNFEST. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Arts Council of Moore County and Southern Pines Parks and Recreation Department invite you to a family-friendly arts and crafts festival experience. There will be creative crafters, food and live entertainment. Downtown Park, 145 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.mooreart.org. KID’S SATURDAY. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Families
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
SILENT BOOK CLUB. 3:30 - 5 p.m. Ages 11 - 17 can bring a book and settle in for a cozy reading meetup. Whether you’re a homeschooler, need a quiet place to read for school, or simply enjoy reading with others, you’re welcome here. This month, embrace the spooky season with mood lighting and cozy background music to enhance our reading experience. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave.,
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
DINING IN THE PINES. 6 p.m. Join the Moore Free and Charitable Clinic for a chef’s table dinner. Cost is $175 per person. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Road, Pinehurst. Info: www. moorefreecare.org. BOOK EVENT. 6 - 7 p.m. Author Doug Lynam discusses his book Taming Your Money Master. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 LITTLE LEARNERS IN THE PARK. 10 - 11 a.m. Kids ages 5 and under can join us for a morning of outdoor fun, stories, activities, sensory play and more. Downtown Park, 145 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. WOMEN OF WEYMOUTH. 11 a.m. This month’s meeting features speaker Cliff Brown, president of the Teamworkz organization. The Great Room, Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.
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Start a new tradition:
Sandhills Garden of Lights MORE THAN ONE MILLION LIGHTS
Wander through the Sandhills Community College Gardens that come alive with light, color and holiday displays designed to surprise and delight visitors of all ages. PLAN YOUR VISIT
Wednesdays through Sundays • 5-10 p.m. Nov. 27, 2026 - Jan. 9, 2027 • SCC Horticultural Gardens 3395 Airport Rd. Pinehurst, NC 28374
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW: www.SandhillsGardenofLights.com Presented by: Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
www.SandhillsGardenofLights.com
NOVEMBER 27, 2026 - JANUARY 9, 2027
OCTOBER CALENDAR CLASSICAL GUITAR SERIES. 7 - 8:30 p.m. Kareem McCullough performs. McPherson Theater, BPAC, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 GARDEN TOUR. 10 a.m. Join the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens for a monthly garden tour. Free of charge. Limit 15 people. Ball Visitors Center, 3245 Airport Road, Southern Pines. Info: www.sandhills.edu/gardenevents. PLAYTIME IN THE PARK. 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Join other friends for giant checkers, Jenga, bubbles, fun and more. Downtown Park, 145 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. HOT GLASS, COLD BEER. 5:30 p.m. Enjoy a live glassblowing demo, music and a food truck. Cost is a $5 suggested donation. Starworks, 100 Russell Drive, Star. Info: www.StarworksNC.org. AUTHOR TALK. 6 p.m. Writer-in-residence Liz Z. Pardue talks about Tarheel Terrors. The Great Room, Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org. DINING IN THE PINES. 6 p.m. Join the Moore Free and Charitable Clinic for a Drinks ‘n’ Dinner Party. Cost is $175 per person. BHAWK Distillery, 175 Yadkin Road, Southern Pines. Info: www.moorefreecare.org.
ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE. 7 - 8:15 p.m. James Gedeon presents Coming Home: The Music of James Taylor. Owens Auditorium, BPAC, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www. ticketmesandhills.com.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 MEDICARE PRESENTATION. 10:30 a.m. Turning 65 this year? Join Blake Rhodes of TrustInsure Medicare Agency for an informative program, “What You Need to Know About Medicare.” Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. SENIOR DAY TRIP. 3 - 10:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older can join Southern Pines Parks and Recreation to enjoy a Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show. A four-course meal is included. Cost is $101 for residents and $140 for non-residents. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www.southernpines.net. HAUNTED TRAIL. 5 - 11 p.m. Teens ages 12 - 17 can enjoy the haunted trail at Kersey Valley. Dinner at Cookout on the way up. Cost is $51 for residents and $71 for non-residents. Info: www. southernpines.net.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 HALLOWEEN CARTOONS. 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Join us for a block of the spookiest and most
surreal cartoons ever made by the legendary Fleischer Studios. Suitable for all ages. Cameo Art House Theatre, 225 Hay St., Fayetteville. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com. GARDEN PRESENTATION. Children ages 12 - 17 can learn about the seed life cycle and seed gathering. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3245 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com. BALLET. 7 - 9:30 p.m. The United European Ballet performs Cinderella, in a Broadway-style ballet production. There will be another performance on Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com. CONCERT. 7:30 p.m. “Somewhat Petty,” the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute concert. There will be another concert Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater.com.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 POP UP IN THE PINES. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wander through stalls of talented makers, savor delicious bites and soak in the kind of community spirit that feels like an old-fashioned block party. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.popupinthepines.com.
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OCTOBER CALENDAR MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 KIDS DAY OUT. 7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Kids in grades K - 6 can hang out with the recreation team for a day of games, adventures, crafts and fun. Bring your own lunch and snack. Cost is $42 for residents and $58 for non-residents. Recreation Center, 160 Memorial Park Court, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www. southernpines.net. PUMPKIN EXPLOSION. Browse a pumpkin patch with a multitude of shapes and sizes. The patch will be open through Oct. 31. Sandhills Woman’s Exchange, 15 Azalea Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-4677 or www.sandhillswe.org. CURIOUS KIDS. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. For ages 7 10 who like to build, test, mix, and figure things out through hands-on, open-ended activities that spark curiosity and problem-solving. This month, create your own Franken-toy using parts from old toys. Come ready to take things apart, get creative, and build something new. Caregivers, plan to assist as needed. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. CRYPTID CLUB. 3 p.m. Open to kids ages 8 12 who are curious about mysterious creatures and the stories behind them. Investigate famous cryptids, uncover their mysteries, and create your
own cryptid field guide. This meeting’s topic will be Bigfoot. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. PHOTO CLUB. 7 p.m. The Sandhills Photo Club’s monthly meeting will be a competition featuring the topic “Architecture.” This month’s challenge is for members to explore the beauty and history of buildings. Guests are welcome. Sandhills Horticultural Garden Ball Visitors Center, 3245 Airport Road, Southern Pines. Info: www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 SHOPPING TRIP. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Adults 55 and older can join Southern Pines Parks and Recreation for a monthly shopping trip. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www.southernpines.net. HEALTH FAIR. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Come get flu shots, blood pressure checks, hearing screenings and more. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End. DINING IN THE PINES. 6 p.m. Join the Moore Free and Charitable Clinic for a chef’s table dinner. Cost is $175 per person. 195 American Fusion Cuisine, 195 Bell Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.moorefreecare.org.
Luxury isn’t found in rushing...
It’s found in lingering.
A L U X U R I O U S R E T R E AT F O R B E A U T Y, W E L L N E S S , A N D M E A N I N G F U L H O S P I TA L I T Y.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 TECH TIME. 11 a.m. Join a walk-in tech time where you can get hands-on help with your tech questions. Whether you’re new to computers, want to learn more about your smartphone,or want to learn how to use your eReader, staff will guide you. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: jmilford@sppl.net. ACTION HOUR IN THE GYM. 11:15 a.m. 12:15 p.m. Kids ages 2 - 12 can join open play in the gym. Southern Pines Recreation Center, 160 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: www. southernpines.net. LECTURE. 5:30 p.m. Abbe Allen will have a presentation on “Artemisia Gentileschi: Her Life and Art.” There will be a second lecture on Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. Cost is $26 for members and $32 for non-members. Space is limited. Arts Council Galleries at Campbell House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2787 or www.mooreart.org.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 GARDEN PRESENTATION. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Brent and Becky Heath will have answers about planting bulbs. There will be more presentations continuing through Oct. 16. Sandhills
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750 SW Broad St. Southern Pines
Curated Collections 135 Beverly Lane • Southern Pines, NC • 910.684.8801 @bloomonceagain
114 PineStraw
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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OCTOBER CALENDAR Horticultural Gardens, 3245 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com. TAG SALE AND RAFFLE. 11 a.m. The White Elephant Tag Sale and Raffle will have a selection of furniture, jewelry, household items, artwork, toys, treats and more. A silent auction and raffle will be held. The sneak peek sale is Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tag Sale continues Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Oct. 17 from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Raffle tickets needed for admission to the sneak peek sale. No entry fee Friday or Saturday. Proceeds benefit Sacred Heart Church Ministries and Moore County charitable organizations. Founders Hall, Sacred Heart Church, N.C. 211 and Dundee Road, Pinehurst. Info. (516) 578-5966. CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE. 6:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Robert Girardi Jr., with a presentation on “Gouverneur Kemble Warren’s Last Battle.” Meeting starts at 7 p.m. Open to the public. Civic Club, corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Ashe Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 246-0452 or mafarina@aol.com.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 BOOK EVENT. 6 - 7 p.m. Author Kate Hash discusses her book The Mother-In-Law Book Club. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.
PADDLE UNDER THE STARS. 6:45- 7:45 p.m. Bring your own kayak, paddleboard or canoe and enjoy a mix of science and mythology about the night sky. Registration required. Reservoir Park, 300 Reservoir Park Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www.southernpines.net. CHILDREN’S THEATRE. 7 - 8:15 p.m. The Missoula Children’s Theatre presents The Little Mermaid. There will be a second performance on Oct. 17 at 11 a.m. Moore Montessori School auditorium, 395 E. Massachusetts Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.mooreart.org. BUBBLE SHOW. 7 - 8:15 p.m. The Amazing Bubble Factory brings the art of bubbles to life right in front of your eyes. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com. CONCERT. 7:30 p.m. The Brothers Comatose, live in concert. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater. com. COMEDY SHOW. 7:30 - 10 p.m. Get ready for an unforgettable night of stand-up comedy featuring an all-women lineup. Cameo Art House Theatre, 225 Hay St., Fayetteville. Info: www. ticketmesandhills.com.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 HOLLY ARTS FESTIVAL. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The Holly Arts and Crafts Festival combines the talents of over 100 crafters in a variety of genres along with downtown shops offering sales and specials. James W. Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Road W., Pinehurst. Info: www.vopnc.org. COMMUNITY GATHERING. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Bring a favorite recipe and the story behind it. Share the memories, traditions and people that make your recipe meaningful while connecting with neighbors and exchanging recipes. Bring copies of your recipe and a photo connected to its story, if you can. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. BENEFIT AND AUCTION. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Gather with friends, artists and supporters for an unforgettable afternoon of art, music and community. Starworks, 100 Russell Drive, Star. Info: www.StarworksNC.org. CROCHET. 12 p.m. Ages 10 and older can join “Crocheting with Kendra.” In this beginnerfriendly workshop, participants will learn how to create a crochet chain with guidance from instructor Kendra Robinson. Registration required. Each session is limited to five participants. There will be a second session at 1 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: kbroughey@sppl.net.
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116 PineStraw
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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Located at 1010 Old US Hwy 1, Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-684-8454 southernpines@nybutcher.net 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon. - Sat. 12 to 5 p.m. Sun.
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Get In Touch!
Office: 910-692-5207 Text: 910-638-2428 sopineschiro@gmail.com www.ncchiro.com
Dr. Joseph D. Wahl Dr. Jack Pandolfo
361 N. Bennett St. Southern Pines, NC 28387
Your Health, Our Priority
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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OCTOBER CALENDAR MET OPERA. 1 p.m. Verdi’s Macbeth. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater.com. CANDLE CRAFT. 2 -3 p.m. Kids ages 11 - 17 can create their own ’90s-inspired Goosebumps book candle to add a creepy, nostalgic touch to your space. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. FLOWER WREATHS. 2 - 5 p.m. Join LB’s Farm to make dried flower wreaths. This workshop will cover the basics of flower drying, how to preserve them and basic wreath design. LB’s Farm, 965 Pineywood Church Road, Cameron. Info: www. ticketmesandhills.com. SYMPHONY. 3 p.m. The Carolina Philharmonic presents The Wizard of Oz. There will be a second performance at 7:30 p.m. Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School, 250 Voit Gilmore Lane, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 6870287 or www.carolinaphil.org. DANCE. 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Put on your dancing shoes and join the Carolina Pines Dance Club for swing, shag, ballroom, Latin and line dances. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There is a lesson at 7 p.m. and dancing is from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Cost is $10 per person. Given Outpost/Brim, 95 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 331-9965.
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TRIBUTE CONCERT. 7:30 p.m. “WANNABE!”is a Spice Girls tribute show. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater.com.
SYMPHONY OF LIGHTS. 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy a performance of Swan Lake: Symphony of Lights. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18
CLASSICAL CONCERT. 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. The Arts Council of Moore County presents the Chrysalis Chamber Players opening the new season’s classical concert series. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www. ticketmesandhills.com.
FARM TOUR. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship will host its annual farm tour fundraiser. Guests can do a self-guided tour of four working farms and special events, along with food trucks and other activities. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 on the day of the event. Info: (810) 577-1799 or www. ticketmesandhills.com. STEAM. 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Elementary-aged children and their caregivers are invited to learn about topics in science, technology, engineering, art and math and to participate in STEAM projects and activities. This month try and solve “The Great Pumpkin Loading Challenge.” Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19 HEALTH PRESENTATION. 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Debi Emerson will have a presentation on nutrition, digestion and a healthy liver. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 SENIOR DAY TRIP. 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Adults 55 and older can join Southern Pines Parks and Recreation to go to the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www.southernpines.net. JAMES BOYD BOOK CLUB. 2 p.m. This month the club will discuss Hemlock Hollow, by Culley Holderfield. Free admission but registration is required. The Great Room, Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. weymouthcenter.org. DINING IN THE PINES. 6 p.m. Join the Moore Free and Charitable Clinic for a chef’s table dinner. Cost is $175 per person. Wolcott’s, 160 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. moorefreecare.org.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
OCTOBER CALENDAR RUTH PAULEY SPEAKER EVENT. 7 - 8:30 p.m. Dexter Ingram will speak on “Secrets and Statecraft: What Three Decades in National Security Taught Me About the History of Spying.” Free admission, tickets required. Owens Auditorium, BPAC, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 LITTLE LEARNERS IN THE PARK. 10 - 11 a.m. Kids ages 5 and under can join a morning of outdoor fun, stories, activities, sensory play and more. Campbell House Park, 450 E. New Hampshire Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 PLAYTIME IN THE PARK. 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Join other friends for giant checkers, Jenga, bubbles, fun and more. Downtown Park, 145 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www.southernpines.net. LIVE MUSIC. 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Doug Massey performs live. Free of charge. Starworks Cafe & Taproom, 100 Russell Drive, Star. Info: www. StarworksNC.org.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 SPARK STORYTIME. 10 a.m. Join a special,
once a month storytime at Fire Station 82. Ages birth to 5 are welcome. Fire Station 82, 7850 N.C. 22, Carthage. Info: www.sppl.net. EARLY RELEASE DAY. 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Kids in grades K - 6 can join the recreation team for an afternoon of games, park time and a local outing. Bring a snack. Cost is $24 for residents and $34 for non-residents. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www.southernpines.net. HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY. 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Kids in grades K - 5 can stop by for dancing, music and Halloween fun before heading to the downtown BooFest. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net. BOOFEST. 5 - 8 p.m. Trick-or-treat at the downtown businesses then gather for games, crafts and activities. Downtown Park, 145 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. MOVIES IN THE PINES. 6:30 - 8 p.m. A free showing of Toy Story 5. Concessions available for purchase. Bring a blanket or chair. Downtown Park, 145 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. CONCERT. 7:30 p.m. Keller Williams, live in concert. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater.com.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 SCARECROW FEST. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. As part of the month-long Scarecrow Stroll, the artists and creators will be hanging out with their scarecrows, handing out candy and sharing about their creations on a day for dressing up and having fun. There will be local native plant nurseries, craft vendors and food trucks. Free of charge. Ball Visitors Center, 3245 Airport Road, Southern Pines. Info: www.sandhills.edu/ gardenevents. BAKE AND BLING. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Women of the Pines is having a fall bazaar. There will be baked goods, cookbooks, vintage items and a raffle. Sandhills Woman’s Exchange, 15 Azalea Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.womenofthepines.org. PUZZLE RACE. 2:30 p.m. SPPL’s puzzle race is back and this time it’s spooky. Five teams of up to five people can register for the race to complete a 500 piece puzzle. Spectators are welcome. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. OKTOBERFEST. 4 - 9 p.m. A fun festival for children and families with music, crafts and a bubble artist. The evening features traditional Oktoberfest activities featuring German music.
A celebration of Scottish cuisine, whisky & tradition
Join us for a festive evening to benefit Scottish Heritage USA with food, beverages, an auction and live music to dance to as we celebrate all things Scottish. Kilts & Tartans welcome!
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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OCTOBER CALENDAR Food and beverages will be available to purchase. James W. Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Road W., Pinehurst. Info: www.vopnc.org. ORCHESTRA. 7 - 9:15 p.m. Experience F.W. Murnau’s 1922 horror masterpiece, Nosferatu, on the big screen with a live orchestral score performed by the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. Cameo Art House Theatre, 225 Hay St., Fayetteville. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 JAZZ. 2 p.m. Grace McNally returns with a captivating concert, on the lawn at the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. weymouthcenter.org.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 CRYPTID CLUB. 3 p.m. Open to kids ages 8 12 who are curious about mysterious creatures and the stories behind them. Investigate famous cryptids, uncover their mysteries, and create your own cryptid field guide. This meeting’s topic will be Mothman. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 CREATIVITY CLUB. 3:45 p.m. Creativity
Club at the fire station is a monthly program. October’s theme is air dry clay mosaics. Activities are designed for kids in grades K - 5 but are adaptable to other ages and abilities. Caregiver participation is required. Fire Station 82, 7850 N.C. 22, Carthage. Info: www. southernpines.net/FormCenter/Library-11/ Creativity-Club-Registration-117.
CONCERT. 8 p.m. “FLOYD Live!” America’s Pink Floyd experience. There will be another concert Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www. sunrisetheater.com.
DINING IN THE PINES. 6 p.m. Join Moore Free and Charitable Clinic for a chef’s table dinner. Cost is $175 per person. Wolcott’s, 160 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. moorefreecare.org.
MONSTER MASH DASH. Join a spooktacular run through the village. This is a family-friendly 5K event. Run, walk or stroll your way to the finish line. Costumes are encouraged. Cannon Park, 90 Woods Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.vopnc.org.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28
MONTH-LONG EVENT
ACTION HOUR IN THE GYM. 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Kids ages 2 - 12 can join us in the gym for open play. Recreation Center, 160 Memorial Park Court, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
GLASS PUMPKIN PATCH. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Shop the more than 3,000 hand-blown glass pumpkins. Each one is handmade by the artists at Starworks Glass. Sales will continue through the end of October. Starworks, 100 Russell Drive, Star. Info: www.StarworksNC.org.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 LUNCH ‘N’ LEARN. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Robert Nuff, author of Über Alles and Final Reckoning, will speak about World War II and is effects. Cost is $30 per person, which includes lunch, beverage and dessert by chef Katrina. Sandhills Woman’s Exchange, 15 Azalea Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-2477 or www.sandhillswe.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS MONDAYS CHAIR YOGA. 9 - 10 a.m. For adults 55 and older. Help offset body aches encountered with desk work. This is an accessible yoga class for bodies not able to easily get up from and down to the floor. Do standing or sitting in a chair. Free
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
OCTOBER CALENDAR of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
Tuesday of the month. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
other people or learn how to knit. This is a free program. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End.
JIGSAW PUZZLES. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Adults 55 and older can enjoy puzzle fun with friends or solo. Free of charge. Puzzles can be done Monday through Friday. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
PLAYFUL LEARNING. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Come for a drop-in, open playtime for ages birth - 3 years to interact with other children and have educational playtime. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-3642.
BABY STORYTIME. 10 - 11 a.m. Have fun developing the foundation for your baby’s later reading with stories, songs and play. Open to parents and caregivers of infants from newborn to 24 months. Moore County Library, 101 W. Saunders St., Carthage. Info: (910) 947-5335.
FITNESS MEMBERSHIP. 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older can use treadmills, free weights, stationary bikes and more. Cost for a six-month membership is $18 for residents and $26 for non-residents. The fitness room is open Monday through Friday. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
BABY RHYMES. 10:15 a.m. Baby Rhymes is specially designed for the youngest learners (birth - 2) and their caregivers. Repetition and comforting movements make this story time perfect for early development and brain growth. There will be a duplicate session at 10:45 a.m. An active library card is required. Dates this month are Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
LEARN AND PLAY. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Come for an open play date with your toddler or preschooler where there will be developmental toys and puzzles as well as early literacy tips for parents to incorporate into daily activities. Dates this month are Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
INDOOR WALKING. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Adults 55 and older can get an indoor walking membership in the climate-controlled gym. Membership can be used Monday through Friday. Cost for a six-month membership is $18 for residents and $26 for non-residents. Southern Pines Recreation Center, 160 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. SENIOR FITNESS. 11 a.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to a TruFit gym class to improve strength, mobility and flexibility. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. RESTORATIVE YOGA. 12 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Practice gentle movements to improve well-being, alleviate pain and improve circulation. Bring your own mat. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. ACTIVE LIVING. 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to join a 12-week program that teaches sedentary people the skills necessary to overcome barriers to becoming physically active. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
TUESDAYS VIRTUAL SPINNING CLASS. 8:30 - 9 a.m. Adults 18 and older can do a 30-minute bike workout that is fun and effective. Limit of seven people per class. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. INTERVAL WALKING. 9:15 - 9:45 a.m. Adults 18 and older can do interval training alternating between periods of brisk and slow walking. Free of charge. No class on the second
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
GAME DAY. 12 - 4 p.m. Fun, fellowship, games and activities. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. CHESS. 1:30 - 5 p.m. Join a chess group, whether you have been playing for a while or have never played. This is a free program. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End. TABLE TENNIS. 3 - 5 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to enjoy free games of table tennis while making new friends. The second Tuesday of the month games will be played on that Thursday instead. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. LINE DANCE. 4:45 p.m. Put on your dancing shoes and line dance. This is for beginners and is a free program. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End.
WEDNESDAYS INTERVAL WALKING. 9:15 - 9:45 a.m. Adults 18 and older can do interval training alternating between periods of brisk and slow walking. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. CHAIR AEROBICS. 10 - 11 a.m. For adults 55 and older. Put on your boogie shoes and jam. Get fit to dance, partying up a sweat to great music through the ages. You can stand and chair dance to this energizing, low-impact aerobic workout. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. BRAIN BOOST. 10 - 11 a.m. Test your memory while creating new brain connections. This is a free program. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End. KNITTING. 10 - 11 a.m. Enjoy knitting with
SENIOR FITNESS. 11 a.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to a TruFit gym class to improve strength, mobility and flexibility. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. PIANO. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Join Flint Long to play piano or just listen. This is a free program. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End.
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
OCTOBER CALENDAR LINE DANCING. 12 - 1 p.m. Looking for new ways to get your daily exercise in and care for yourself? Try line dancing. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. CHAIR VOLLEYBALL. 1 - 2 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Get fit while having fun. Free to participate. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends. All materials included. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. DANCE. 2 - 2:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Instructor Maria Amaya will introduce you to dance fitness in this class designed for anyone who wants to gently and gradually increase cardio function, mobility and balance and have fun at the same time. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. LINE DANCING. 2 p.m. The town of Vass will host line dancing for seniors every other Wednesday. Cost is $5 per session. Vass Town Hall, 140 S. Alma St., Vass. Info: www.townofvassnc.gov.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
BIG KID STORYTIME. 3:30 p.m. An afterschool program for children ages kindergarten through second grade who enjoy activities, crafts, stories and making new friends. Dates this month are Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. TAI CHI. 6:30 p.m. Learn tai chi. There is no age limit and the classes are open to the public. Cost is $10 per class. Seven Lakes West Community Center, 556 Longleaf Drive, Seven Lakes. Info: (910) 400-5646.
THURSDAYS VIRTUAL SPINNING CLASS. 8:30 - 9 a.m. Adults 18 and older can do a 30-minute bike workout that is fun and effective. Limit of seven people per class. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. MOORE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET. 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. The year-round market features “producer only” vendors within a 50-mile radius providing fresh, local and seasonal produce, fruits, pasture meats, eggs, potting plants, cut flowers and local honey. Crafts, baked goods, jams and jellies are also available. Market is located at the Armory Sports Complex, 604 W. Morganton Road, Southern Pines.
GIVEN STORY TIME. 10 a.m. Bring your preschooler to enjoy stories, songs and activities. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-3642. BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY. 10 - 11 a.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to enjoy a class aimed at reducing the risk of taking a tumble and increasing the ability to recover if you do. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. MUSIC AND MOTION. 10:15 and 10:45 a.m. Does your toddler like to move and groove? Join Music and Motion to get those wiggles out and work on gross and fine motor skills. For 2- 5-year-olds. An active library card is required. Dates this month are Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. GENTLE YOGA. 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to unwind, recharge and find peace in your week. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. MAHJONG. 1 - 3 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Mahjong involves skill, strategy, calculation and luck. Requires four players. Free of
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
OCTOBER CALENDAR charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. IMPROVERS LINE DANCE. 3 - 5:30 p.m. Put on your dancing shoes and line dance. This is a free program. Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End. LITTLE U. 3:45 p.m. Little U is a preschool program for children ages 3 1/2 - 5 featuring stories, songs, rhymes and activities that explore the world of books, language and literacy. A fun and interactive program designed to help preschoolers develop early literacy skills in preparation for kindergarten and beyond. Dates this month are Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
FRIDAYS AEROBIC DANCE. 9 - 10 a.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy a low-to-moderate impact class with energizing music for an overall cardio and strength workout. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. JAM SESSION. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Do you like to play an instrument, sing or just listen to music? Join a music jam session. This is a free program.
Moore County Senior Enrichment Center, 8040 U.S. 15-501, West End. TAP CLASS. 10 - 11:30 a.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Cost for sixmonth membership: $18/resident; $26/nonresident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. SENIOR FITNESS. 11:30 a.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to a TruFit gym class to improve strength, mobility and flexibility. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. QIGONG. 1 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Classes consist of chair and standing movements that can help soothe achy feet and tight hips while easing low back pain and restriction in mobility. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends. All materials included. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. DRUM CIRCLE. 2 - 3 p.m. Adults 18 and older can feel the rhythm, find their groove and con-
nect through beat. No experience necessary. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.
SATURDAYS MOORE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET. 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. This market features “producer only” vendors within a 50-mile radius providing fresh, local and seasonal produce, fruits, pasture meats, eggs, potting plants, cut flowers and local are honey. Crafts, baked goods, jams and jellies also available. The market runs through Nov. 21. Downtown Southern Pines, 156 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. PS
PineNeedler Answers from page 135
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Two 18-hole courses with one being handicap accessible.
at Olmsted Village
Great for Family Fun Birthdays • Team Building Tournaments
Miniature Golf
265 Central Park Ave | Pinehurst NC| weepines.com Text 919-599-1615 for event planning Call 910-687-4580 for hours of operation Open all year, weather permitting
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Shop local & handmade at Downtown Southern Pines’ own pottery studio and gallery Mon-Sat 10 to 5 or by appointment
260 W. Pennsylvania Ave • Southern Pines, NC • 336-465-1776 PineStraw 125
S M
From Our
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SEW MOORE S M
CATERING+CAKES+DINING
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Moore County Wedding Inspiration Awaits!
Scan to Explore the Full 2026 Bride & Groom Magazine! Real Weddings | Expert Advice | Local Inspiration
COLLECTORS CHOICE PREVIEW NIGHT Thursday, November 5 • 5:00-7:30
Our annual Collectors Choice night is by invitation only and is our most exciting event of the year. This is a lovely reception held prior to the public opening of the exhibit. Exquisite food and a special cocktail based on our theme are served to our guests. Admission is $125 per couple and $100 may be applied to the price of any painting (or can be counted as a donation if you don’t make a purchase). Please join us that evening and have first choice to purchase a truly unique piece of art and help support the Artists League. Call for an invitation to our Roaring 20’s Art and All That Jazz event celebrating the spectacular private opening reception of our fall exhibit.
INSPIRED BY LAND AND SEA Opening Reception Friday, October 2 5:00-7:00 pm Join us as we celebrate the beauty and wonder of the landscape through the eyes of four award winning artists. Works by Courtney Herndon, Leigh Lassiter, Emma Wilson, and Beth Ybarra explore the many changing moods of the land and sea in oils, acrylics and pastels. The exhibit and sale will continue through October 23.
ANNUAL FALL EXHIBIT AND SALE Opening Reception and Weekend: Friday, November 6 • 5:00-7:00
Please join us on Friday, November 6, from 5:00-7:00 for the public opening reception of the Artists League’s 32nd Annual Art Exhibit & Sale. The opening weekend continues on Saturday, November 7, from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. Join us for cookies and punch and meet the artists as they paint in their studios throughout the weekend. The exhibit and sale will remain open through Friday, December 18th.
910-944-3979 129 Exchange Street in Aberdeen, NC artistleague.org artistleague@windstream.net
Gallery Hours: Mon - Sat 12-3pm
Gallery • Studios • Classes
Ask Us About Becoming a Member
Arts & Culture
Community Congregational Concerts Presents Our Fifth Season! November 22, 2026
Echoes of Time, Whispers of Winter Cross Creek Chorale - an elite chamber choir Curtis Kinzey, Director; Dr. Jae Won Kim, Piano January 10, 2027
Rare Vocal Gems with Strings Featuring Barber’s Dover Beach and Respighi’s Il Tramonto Robin Lynne Frye, Mezzo-Soprano; Robert Mobsby, Baritone; Karen Lewis, Violin; Emi Hildebrandt, Violin; Katie Wyatt, Viola; Paul Kirkpatrick, Cello April 25, 2027
Our Favorites - A Mix of Classical, Fun and Jazzy Moore Brass - a distinguished quintet Chris Dunn, Trumpet; Rob Hill, Trumpet; Kim Clark, Horn; Becca Clemens, Trombone; Davis Clark, Tuba
All concerts at 4:00 PM Tickets at ticketmesandhills.com
communitycongregational.org/concerts 141 North Bennett St. • Southern Pines
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
PineStraw 129
Arts & Culture
JOIN US FOR
OCTOBER EVENTS Doug Lynam Taming Your Money Master
Cinderella - performed by the United European Ballet Company Oct. 10 | 7-9:30 p.m. Oct. | 11 2-4 p.m.
Oct. 6 | 6-7 p.m.
The Country Bookshop
Owens Auditorium at BPAC
Kareem McCullough Classical Guitar Series
The Amazing Bubble Factory Oct. 16 | 7-8:15 p.m.
Oct. 7 | 7-8 p.m.
Owens Auditorium at BPAC
McPherson Theater at Bradshaw Performing Arts Center (BPAC)
Coming Home: The Music of James Taylor - Featuring James Gedeon
Swan Lake: Symphony of Lights Oct. 19 | 7-9 p.m.
Oct. 8 | 7-8:15 p.m.
Owens Auditorium at BPAC
Owens Auditorium at BPAC
Seed Gathering & Seed Life Cycle (for children ages 10 & up)
Dexter Ingram - Secrets and Statecraft - Ruth Pauley Speakers
Sandhills Horticultural Gardens
Owens Auditorium at BPAC
Oct. 10 | 10-11 p.m.
Oct. 20 | 7-8:30 p.m.
Buy tickets & see more events at ticketMEsandhills.com CREATE YOUR OWN EVENTS: INFO@TICKETMESANDHILLS.COM
SECRETS AND STATECRAFT
What Three Decades in National Security Taught Me About the History of Spying
DEXTER INGRAM
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 • 7pm History books lie. Not always intentionally—sometimes the truth is just locked away in forgotten archives or purposely buried in redacted files. Behind every major world event lurks a shadow narrative. The “official story” you learned? That’s the magician’s trick designed to distract you from the real power players. Wars don’t just happen. Revolutions aren’t spontaneous. The truth is always messier than fiction—and can be infinitely more disturbing. Once you know what happened behind closed doors, history will never look the same again. Come hear about how a career in national security changed one man’s perspective on history.
Owens Auditorium at BPAC | Free Admission | Tickets Required Tickets available at TicketMeSandhills.com
130 PineStraw
For the complete 2026-27 schedule, see ruthpauley.org
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Arts & Culture
Celebrate Homecoming ALL WEEK at the historic John Blue Festival! Enjoy music, vendors, crafts, games, and performances. Featuring a chili cook13040 X-Way Rd. off, tractor show, kids' train & barrel rides. Step back in Laurinburg, NC time with historical re-enactments, the general store, and exhibits showcasing innovations in the cotton industry! October 10, 2026 9 am - 5 pm
johnbluefestival.com
ADMISSION : $$5 5 ADMISSION: FREE AGES 5 5& & UNDER UNDER FREE AGES
10 Years Strong!
Celebrating 10 years of strength, confidence and community in the Sandhills.
JOIN US FOR A 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
• Free 30-minute classes at 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 AM • Mimosas from Cheeky Bubbles • Raffles and giveaways • Anniversary class and membership specials
Space is limited. Advance registration required. Call 910-246-2164 to reserve your spot.
1764 Old Morganton Rd. Ste 1764 • Southern Pines, NC • 910-246-2164 • www.purebarre.com
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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Arts & Culture
DRIVEN BEAUTY 300 Works. 30 Artists. Endless Inspiration. Featuring artists from the Sanford Brush & Palette Club
Celebrating Car Culture Through Art
From paintings and pottery to notecards, journals, sculptures and one-of-a-kind treasures… there’s something for everyone to discover. Hours: Thursday - Sunday, 11 - 4:00 PM and Special Events Location: 507 N. Steele Street, Ste. 211, (in the historic Mann Center), Sanford, NC 27330
19TH ANNUAL
Celebration of Seagrove Potters Show & Studio Tour
40+ Potters
Nov 21 & 22, 2026 Show at the Historic Lucks Cannery & Driving Tour at Participating Studios
Tickets to Gala & Live Auction:
DiscoverSeagrove.com 132 PineStraw
This special exhibit combines photos of toy cars that look like they are truly parked in real-world locations, paintings of automobiles so life-like they can be mistaken for photographs, and layered, car logos & imagery with real depth. This show features photographs by David J. Knight, paintings by Lory Lockwood & mixed media pieces by Tony Watts.
Exhibition Dates: October 2-30 Opening Reception: Fri., October 2, 6-8p Gallery Hours: Weekdays, 10a to 5p Weekend Date: Sat., October 17, 12-2p
910-692-2787 | www.MooreArt.org 482 E. Connecticut Ave., | Southern Pines, NC
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
SandhillSeen
MCAC Fine Arts Festival Reception Campbell House
Friday, August 7, 2026 Photographs by Diane McKay
Mary Markell, Cheryl Rauschenbach
Carol & Gary Rosenberg
W. Vincent Frye
Roberta Horne, Kay Byerly, Jeri Crowell
Kate Curtin, Claudette Griffith, Elizabeth Nhambure
Tristan & Thomas Mattocks
Sophia Baker, Galina Quinn
Skyeler Paul, Eric Liffrig, Fran Gretz
Mary Duffy, Mary Jackson, Dave Marek
Ann Lambrecht
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Molli Lucas, Addie Crider, Diana Paxton, Bob Huffman
Lauren Colbert, Nate Wesley
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Pine ServiceS
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Pilot-Diver Chronographs Military Watches Buying one Watch or Collection
910-693-3790 (o) 910-315-5132 (c)
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APPLES TO APPLES Apples to Apples October PineNeedler Across61. Eligible voters Across 1. Guitar tool 1. Guitar fret tool 63. fret Departed 5. APPLE 5. APPLE 64. Fly high 9. Indian wharf stairway 65. wharf Mani-pedi shop 9. Indian 13. Funny man 66. Acad. stairway 14. Soon, to a bard 67. Paving 13. Funny man block 15. Actor’s part 68. to A alarge 14. Soon, bardpile 16. Dictation takers Down 15. Actor's part 18. Knowing, as a secret (2 wds) 1. Deep medical sleep 16. Dictation takers 19. Stick in one’s craw 2. “Give ___ ___ a fish....” 18. Knowing, as a (2 wds) 20. Those receiving promises secret 3. ( 2 wds) APPLE 22. Florida’s Key ___ 19. Stick craw 4. in Ofone's the eye 24. Conservative 5. receiving Sports or celebrity 20. Those 25. Church part follower promises 28. Clod chopper 6. Wind a reel 22. Florida's 30. More upscale Keyoff___ 7. Singer-songwriter Billy 33. 128 cubic feet log order 24. Conservative 8. Atlas enlargement 34. ____DELICIOUS 25. Church part 9. African amulet 36. Biochemistry abbr. 28. Clod 10.chopper APPLE 37. Kid’s coloring tools 30. More 11. upscale Cosmetic plant 39. “Ode on a ___ Urn” 12. Highest 33. 128 cubic feet ratings log 32. Hindu queens 50. Fertile soil 41. ___DELICIOUS. order 61. 13. “Wheels” 10. Eligible voters APPLE Pauses in poetry 34. African antelope 52.40. Picnic spoiler 42. Large aquatic rodent 17. At any time, poetically 34. ____DELICIOUS 63. Departed 35. Victorian, 11.for Cosmetic plant... 53.43. one O. 1988 Henry’s “Thecop Gift of the buddy 44. Fungal spore sacs 21. English poet and cleric John ___” flick with Arnold 36. Biochemistry abbr. 64. Fly high 38. Beginning 45. Dye-yielding shrubs 12. Highest ratings 2 wds 23. Some trick-or-treater 54.Schwarzenegger, Exhortation to hurry 40. Pauses in 47. “Comprende?” 37. Kid's coloring tools 65. Mani-pedi shop 13.poetry "Wheels" costumes 55.46. ___Surgeon's gin fizz double43. 1988 buddy cop flick with 48. Ancient Irish clan divisions 39. "Ode a ___capital 66. Acad. 17. At any time, 25. on Ghana’s edged tool Arnold Schwarzenegger 57. APPLE 49. Old Chinese money Urn" 26. “Two Women” Oscar winnerblock (2 wds)poetically 67. Paving 58.48. Above Rushing sound 51. Common chess results 41. Sophia ___DELICIOUS. 21. English poet and 46. Surgeon’s double-edged tool 68. 59.50. BigFertile ___ Conference A large pile soil 53. APPLE 27. Aquatic Customs handed down 42. Large 48. Rushingcleric soundJohn 62. Computer monitor, for short 56. Chewy candy 52. Picnic spoiler rodent 29. More tense 23. Some trick-orDown 60. Atlantic circulation system, 53. O. Henry's "The 31. Legislate treater costumes 44. Fungal spore sacs 1. Deep medical sleep for short
25. Ghana's capital 45. Dye-yielding shrubs 2. "Give ___ ___ a Women" 26. "Two fish...."2 wds 47. "Comprende?" Oscar winner Sophia 3. APPLE 48. Ancient Irish clan divisions 4. Of the eyeSudoku: 27. Customs handed Fill in the grid so every row, down 49. Old Chinese money 5. Sports or celebrity every column and every 3x3 29. More tense 51. Common chess boxfollower contain the numbers 1-9. 31. Legislate results 6. Wind off a reel 32. Hindu queens 53. APPLE 7. Singer-songwriter Puzzle answers on page 125 34. African antelope Billy 56. Chewy candyMart Dickerson lives in Southern 35. Victorian, for one 8. Atlas suggestions enlargement 60. Atlantic circulation Pines and welcomes from system, FOR SHORT 38. Beginning her fellow puzzle masters. She can be 9. African amulet reached at martaroonie@gmail.com.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Gift of the ___" 54. Exhortation to hurry 55. ___ gin fizz
57. APPLE
59. Big ___ Conference 62. Computer monitor, for short 58. Above
PineStraw 135
SOUTHWORDS
House of Words
By Kaye Gibbons
In 1919 a
young schoolteacher named Bernice Kelly Harris left her home in Seaboard, North Carolina, and traveled to Chapel Hill to study playwriting with Frederick Koch. It was summer school. Lord knows how long it took her, or how hot it was. Just the year before, professor Koch had founded the Carolina Playmakers. Thomas Wolfe and Paul Green were also studying with him that year. He noticed her talent and encouraged her to write. Harris returned home and started passing along what she had learned to local women who would gather in her living room. It was an admirable plan, but it didn’t get very far. She started publishing human interest stories in the Raleigh paper. The publisher, Jonathan Daniels, suggested she write a novel, and she did. She wrote Purslane, which was published in 1939. It won the Mayflower Cup. She kept writing. Ten books and 57 years later, she was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony at the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, with Paul Green, Jonathan Daniels and Thomas Wolfe, among others. The picture of her, the portrait that hangs in the gallery with all the other writers, takes my breath away. They all do. In 1984, I made the same kind of trip with the same kind of intention. I was living in Raleigh. I’d just gotten married and had a baby, and was ready to go back to school somewhere. I was reading a lot of Southern literary criticism and anything I could find by Louis Rubin. He made sense of things that could have
136 PineStraw
been impenetrable. When I saw that he was teaching at UNCChapel Hill, I enrolled there. There was no ordeal of a long rattling train ride. I did make a daily trip from Raleigh to Chapel Hill on Highway 54 in a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle with no air conditioning and a plate-size hole in the floorboard, but that was the extent of it. I was in two of his classes. When he read the first chapter of Ellen Foster, he told me to go home and finish it. I figured he meant right away, so since the Christmas holiday was started, I finished it and brought it back to him after the break. He said he wanted to publish it at Algonquin, and wrote a check for $1,500. When he handed it to me, I remember him laughing, hoping it didn’t bounce. I barely made it back down 54 all the way to Raleigh. We sold my old Volkswagen and bought a Chevette. After this, every now and then he’d call me to his office to meet other writers, like Max Steele, Elizabeth Spencer, Jill McCorkle. I stopped accumulating parking tickets and started parking at Jill’s house and riding the bus to campus with her. If I couldn’t find a babysitter, I’d sit in Dr. Rubin’s class with my daughter in her stroller beside me, pushing her back and forth a little if she fussed. I felt at home in my life for the first time. I felt surrounded. Years later, when I went to Weymouth for the first time, I arrived early for whatever was scheduled and looked for a place to take a nap. I was probably pregnant. I was a lot back then. I remember lying down in a vacant bedroom and going to sleep in the still cool of the air there, surrounded by this place, with the portraits of all the writers down the hall from me, so grateful to have been invited into this home. PS Kaye Gibbons is a novelist and a member of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. She’s currently working on a memoir. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
ILLUSTRATION BY CAMPBELL PRINGLE
A family home for storytellers
Reach for your goals. Pursue your dreams. Reach forwhat your makes goals. Pursue your dreams. Rediscover you, you. Rediscover what makes you, you. At St. Joseph of the Pines, joining our Life Plan Community means living fully—with purpose, connection and joy. Whether music, fitness or connecting with friends is your passion, we At St. Joseph of the Pines, joining our Life Plan Community means living fully—with purpose, celebrate every part of your journey and encourage you to grow, contribute and thrive! connection and joy. Whether music, fitness or connecting with friends is your passion, we celebrate every part of your journey and encourage you to grow, contribute and thrive!
Scan the code or call 910-246-1023 to schedule your personal visit with St. Joseph of the Pines in Southern Pines today! Scan the code or call 910-246-1023 to schedule your personal visit with St. Joseph of the Pines in Southern Pines today!
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