Weekly update, Aug. 21
CHCCS resumes Monday | Crossword puzzle buzz | Twin Creeks Farm to feed hungry kids | Main Street Music | Story-telling on the radio | Carrboro High mourns Sheremy Dillard | Fiestas en la Calle| Labor Day closures | Pollinator Census | Repair your stuff | G.L.O.W. Girl poet Aija Jerome
Hello, Carrboro. Soon the tell-tale yellow buses will roar back to life, the bus-stops will once again repopulate weekday mornings, and backpack-toting kids commuting by foot and bike will be part of the morning fabric as the new year begins. Both Carrboro High and Chapel Hill High have welcomed new principals--Lucas Paulsen and Patrick Greene--and so it's a time for renewal. We at The Carrborean wish all the teachers and all the families sending children to their first day of school Monday good luck with the new school year!
Also on Monday, our favorite cartoonist with a national following, Keith Knight, is celebrating a milestone birthday. Happy Birthday to the Gentleman Cartoonist!
Attention, crossword puzzle enthusiasts! The solution to last month's crossword puzzle has been posted! Reminder: the first reader to solve the puzzle gets their name and photo published both online and in the print edition. Send a photo of your completed puzzle to info@thecarrborean.com. The puzzle theme for next month is the Carrboro Music Festival, which we'll preview in the print edition that comes out in early September and then continue covering bands all month long.
Online this week
Hungry children in our community serviced by TABLE will soon be nourished by the bounty of the new Twin Creeks Farm on Old NC 86. Read Blair Pollock's story about the inspiring community volunteers, philanthropists, restauranteurs, and county partnerships that have quickly turned 3.5 acres of unused land into an oasis of intensive organic gardening that will feed Orange County kids.
Pamir Kiciman interviewed local author Elisa Faison about her debut novel and Elaine Ellis reported on the annual Teachers' Supply Store event.
The Carrborean Radio Hour on WCOM-LP FM 103.5 (wcomfm.org)
Young children naturally have vivid imaginations that eventually fade as they grow, but Frédérique Yova hosts a weekly radio show on WCOM in which she invites child and adult guests to engage with carved wooden puppets--her so-called "Fellows"--and to unleash their imaginative spirit on air. On this week's Carrborean Radio Hour, Whitney Fry of Flame Tree Story sat down with Yova to talk about the power of storytelling to unlock our imaginations.
On Monday (4 - 5pm), John Rees will continue discussions about affordable housing with Daniele Berman,Vice President of Strategy and Operations at Community Home Trust and Laine Hindley, Vice President of Homeowner Services at Habitat for Humanity Orange County.
After each radio show, join us at a pop-up newsroom to discuss all things Carrboro and stories you'd like to see, hear, or write. In August, you'll find us at Weaver Street Market on Mondays from 5 to 6 pm.
Please take WCOM's short survey. This is your community radio station. Tell them what you want to hear.
News from CHCCS, Town, and County
Before she transferred to Wake County a few years ago, Sheremy Dillard taught at Carrboro High and was the beloved, longtime coach of its women's basketball team. The shocking news of her sudden death at age 57 is reverberating in the Jaguar community. The school will share details about a celebration-of-life event once it is planned.
As the Raleigh News & Observer reported this week, the boyfriend who is believed to have murdered Dillard in her Raleigh home and then fled was tracked down by police last Friday outside Philadelphia, where he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He'll be extradited to North Carolina.
CHCCS Board Meeting, August 20: Mandarin Moves to Rashkis, Board Member Rani Dasi Resigns
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education hears families urge trust and inclusion during decisions on Mandarin dual language and world language placement, then votes to relocate Mandarin to Rashkis and hold Scroggs as a placeholder for world language while redistricting continues. The board also approves living wage pay increases for staff and substitutes before a long-serving member announces her resignation after 11 years. Find our highlights reel here.
On Sunday from 12 to 7 pm, the Town of Carrboro is co-sponsoring Fiestas en la Calle with El Centro Hispano along Weaver Street, between N. Greensboro Street and Elm Street. The free event will feature a variety of acts.
Looking ahead: The Town of Carrboro will be hosting the 29th Annual Carrboro Music Festival next month and has released the line-up. New this year: a Kick-off Music Market Saturday 4 to 7 pm at The ArtsCenter where festival goers can meet band members and purchase merch the day before the main event, which begins Sunday, Sept. 27, at 1 pm. You can download the schedule from the website.
As we approach the upcoming Labor Day Holiday, Orange County has announced which services will close in observance. All county administrative offices, all library locations, and the Orange County Waste and Recycling Centers, Landfill, Solid Waste Administrative Office, and all related services will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7. Curbside recycling will be delayed by one day. Emergency services, however, will continue without pause seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Other Interesting Things
On Sunday morning, My Muses Card Shop and Muse Gallery (201 E. Main St.) will play host to a Community Dye Garden Volunteer Day from 10 to noon, along with a workshop on ecoprinting.
The Orange County Master Gardener Volunteers invite the public to join them on Saturday from 9 to noon for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, which will take place at the Bonnie B. Davis Demonstration Gardens (1020 US Hwy 70 West, Hillsborough). No experience is necessary, and participants can show up at any time. For more information about the census, visit this website.
The ArtsCenter is hosting its monthly Repair Day next Saturday afternoon in its Youth Center Room, so you have a week to identify something in your home that needs fixing--for free!
Final Notes
The Community Bulletin Board has announcements and opportunities for giving and civic engagement and is updated weekly.
There's so much going on in Carrboro! Check out The Events Calendar to see what's happening and help us keep it up-to-date.
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Poetry Moment
For this week's Poetry Moment, we hear from G.L.O.W. Girls poetry winner Aija Jerome:
And you can hear Aija Jerome interview former Carrboro Poet Laureate, Fred Joiner, on The Carrborean Radio Hour. Scroll down to the August 3 recording.