Full of Charm and Warmth, Scuppernong Books on Elm Street Builds a Sense of Community

Scuppernong Books is located at 304 South Elm Street (just south of the intersection with Washington Street). Open 10am - 9pm Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; 10am – 10pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; and 12pm – 6pm Sunday.

The ambience at Scuppernong is wonderfully inviting. I stepped out of a cold, dreary morning into a warm, convivial atmosphere, appointed with attractive displays, festive décor, upbeat music, and smiling faces. Those would be the faces of store owners Brian Lampkin and Kira Larson, as well as some happy customers who were enjoying noshing at Scuppernong's food and wine bar and chatting on the comfy couches at the rear of the store. Everywhere you look, there is something interesting going on, from the decoupaged cafe tables to the striking original art on the walls (a new artist's work is featured each month, and yes, it's for sale).

Scuppernong Books opened in its current location on Elm Street in Greensboro on December 21^st, 2013. It is that very rare creature these days, an independent book store, but it is much more than that: An “eclectic literary bookstore”, as Brian puts it, Scuppernong is a seller of new books, from national best-sellers to books by local authors; a purveyor of fine comestibles, from organic coffee and tea and wine by the glass to hearty homemade sandwiches and sides (Brian gave me a menu, and I'm drooling over items such as the Smoked Gouda and Apple Sandwich and the Tomato Basil Salad); and a good place to find periodicals, reading glasses and other accessories, cards and notebooks. Everything a dedicated bibliophile might want, basically.

A best-selling item at Scuppernong Books is children's books. You might think a bookstore with a wine bar would cater to literary snobs who sip and read in a rarefied atmosphere, but think again; Scuppernong welcomes all, and is known for being kid-friendly, with story time every Tuesday morning, as well as other events that will appeal to children. The popularity of the kids' section is a given, but Brian suggests you also take time to check out the extensive poetry section, built with dedication and discernment by Kira. Scuppernong also hosts poetry events, as well. You may discover a new literary treasure!

Something people might be surprised to learn about Scuppernong Books is how “big city” this shop feels—not in that oh-so-happening urban-sophisticate way, but in the way that most large cities, like New York, Chicago, and Charleston, have some eclectic shops that are far more than just shops and more like social centers, with something going on all the time. Scuppernong captures that kind of cool-slash-boho vibe: trendy but not pretentious, smart but not snooty. Brian says that he has heard many new customers remark about how surprised they are that a place like this exists in Greensboro.

 Every month is packed full of events, from book signings and presentations to musical evenings, book club meetings, and Wit & Spark Trivia Night. Notable upcoming events include the Festival of Lights on December 5th, featuring “A Percussive Christmas” with marimba player Nathan Daughtrey and Friends, an afternoon with Marietta McCarthy, author of The Philosopher's Table, at 2 pm on December 7^th, and on December 22^nd at 6:30 pm, Scuppernong hosts Music Monday, featuring the Jazz Nomads.

Scuppernong offers memberships that entitle members to:

10% off new books;
20% off Scuppernong best-selling hardback books;
10% off coffee drinks;
periodic members-only specials; and
“an annual members-only party with tuba accompaniment”.

Sounds intriguing! If you are fond of tuba music or just like saving money on books and coffee, these memberships are available for $20 annually, or $100 for a lifetime membership.

If you haven't yet visited Scuppernong Books, be prepared to be delighted. Just a glance at the store's Facebook page speaks volumes about the great relationship they have built with their dedicated customers (one might easily call them “fans”), and Brian can't say enough about his enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff, who truly enjoy what they do. Scuppernong is busily gearing up for the holidays, so stop in and discover this local gem. You'll be glad you did!

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!


All photos (c) Ali McCartney

City of Greensboro Issues Recycling Guidelines for 2015

The City of Greensboro has released the new recycling guide for 2015, and I notice a lot of great changes! recyclables are still picked up on an every-other-week schedule, but the scope of recyclables accepted has been broadened, especially for plastic. Remember when you could only recycle #1 and #2 plastic? While that was great for milk jugs and soda bottles, it still left us with yogurt and pudding cups, microwave-dinner-plates and margarine tubs knocking around.

Well, not any more! According to the handy 2015 recycling guide, you can now recycle almost any kind of plastic, from small food containers (empty and dry, please!) to big ol' plastic lawn chairs, jugs, and buckets. They do not take garden hoses, plastic sheeting, or plastic bags, but you can recycle bags at many area grocery stores, donate your old hose, and...why would you give up plastic sheets? Use them for dropcloths! And to settle the age-old debate of whether or not to leave the caps on the plastic bottles, the official word is that it's fine (although I would recommend leaving the caps off of milk jugs so that they can dry out and won't smell oogy, but that's a personal choice)

Greensboro also accepts most kinds of metal--aluminum, steel and tin cans, pots and pans, and even aluminum foil, which used to be persona non grata in a recycling program. As with the plastic containers, please make sure they aren't all gloppy with food. Rinse them out. The city even takes aerosol spray cans; just remove the caps. Please do not put cords, car parts or electronics out for recycling (that stuff is hazardous waste).

Paper and glass are easy--all kinds of glass bottles and jugs (no lids), just no mirrors, windows or dishware. All kinds of paper, cardboard and chipboard (stuff like cereal boxes) is acceptable (even pizza boxes!), just don't put paper towels, tissue or diapers in there. That's biohazard stuff!

All in all, I would say we have an excellent recycling program here in Greensboro. The best part, besides the handy curbside pickup, is that you don't even need to sort the things into separate containers--everything that can be recycled just goes into the brown container and to the curb, and they take care of it from there, bless their hearts. Now there is no excuse whatsoever not to recycle, so go for it!

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!

Image from Pixabay http://pixabay.com/en/woman-girl-black-female-rubbish-160281/ This girl isn't as lucky as we are, because she has to sort stuff.

My Trip to the Weatherspoon Art Museum

I have been embarrassed that I have lived in Greensboro for so long without having gone to the Weatherspoon Art Museum, on the campus of UNCG at Tate and Spring Garden Streets. I've been to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh about half a dozen times, but sometimes it's easy to put off seeing something in your own home town, figuring you'll get to it. I'm afraid I was doing just that with the Weatherspoon, even though I've heard from many people that it's a fantastic art museum in its own right.
Last weekend, however, my failing was finally rectified when a friend suggested we go see the current exhibit by Lesley Dill called "Faith and the Devil", a stunning gallery exhibit comprised of large wallhangings (and one fabric sculpture and a mannequin) that uses striking imagery and typography to share stories--sometimes shocking, but all deeply introspective--about the nature of humanity's light and dark sides. It was a thought-provoking display, and I would recommend it. It will be in the museum until December 7th.

We also saw the Al Held and Robert Mangold exhibit, "Black and White to Color", which also runs through December 7th, and the delightful Art on Paper 2014 exhibit, which takes up a couple of large galleries on the second floor of the Weatherspoon and features work by dozens of artists who use paper both as medium, creating sculptural works by folding, twisting, cutting, embellishing and even weaving the paper, and also as support, producing fantastical images with a wide variety of media, from graphite and charcoal to acrylic, colored ink and gouache. This was my favorite exhibit, but of course it is the nearest and dearest to my heart, as I received my BFA in Illustration.

To finish, we checked out the remaining galleries that feature a rotating display of pieces from the Weatherspoon's permanent collection, including a large painting and a smaller work on paper by famed artist Willem deKooning. I had heard about the deKooning and was happy to finally see it.

The Weatherspoon Art Gallery is free (donations are accepted and appreciated), with ample parking in the lot behind the museum, so there's really no excuse not to go. Don't put it off, like I did--it's a wonderful experience!

Here is the website for the Weatherspoon, with much more information about hours, location, and exhibits: http://weatherspoon.uncg.edu/

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!

Photograph of the Weatherspoon Art Museum is from Wikimedia Commons:  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Weatherspoon_Art_Museum.JPG

Tigers at the Greensboro Science Center

Whenever I go to the Animal Discovery section of the Greensboro Science Center, I always look forward to seeing the tigers, Axl and Kisa. At first, I had thought that these two tigers were mates, but they are actually twins, brother and sister, who were born here in North Carolina at the Conservation Center in Mebane. They turned ten years old in August. The reason I thought they were mates, other than being a male and a female housed together, is that Kisa fusses at Axl sometimes, and it is very much like how wives fuss at their husbands for various things!

The tigers have a large enclosure, and Axl usually paces around it (as in the above picture), marking his territory, while Kisa usually reclines somewhere. Occasionally they both walk around, and it is fun to see the way they interact with each other. The enclosure has some wonderful big rocks to climb on and lots of greenery to explore.There are two glassed-in viewing areas that protrude into the enclosure, and both tigers will walk very close by, allowing for some excellent pictures. 

The only thing the tiger habitat seems to be missing is a water feature. Tigers are adept swimmers, and they like to swim and play in the water. Maybe the keepers were afraid they would get too playful and splash the zoo visitors! 

Axl interacts with a keeper who has come to check on him. Tigers act just like our kitty cats at home, but they weigh 400 pounds and can kill us, so that's a BIG difference!

The magnificent enclosure features a large rock feature. As Axl walks by, you can see Kisa lying atop the highest rock.

A closer look at the beautiful Kisa

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!

All photos were taken by me (c) Ali McCartney

Greensboro City Offices Closed November 11 in Observance of Veteran's Day

The city of Greensboro closes its municipal offices on Tuesday, November 11th, in observance of Veteran's Day. Trash pickup that would normally be done on this day will be done on Wednesday, November 12th.

Also, the city offices will be closed for two days to celebrate Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 27th, and Friday, November 28th. Although trash pickup for Thursday the 27th will be moved forward one day to Wednesday the 26th, Friday's collection will stay the same.

Here's to all the veterans out there: We appreciate your sacrifices, and we pray that those of you who are still deployed come home safely and soon!

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!

Image from Pixabay http://pixabay.com/en/soldier-saluting-salute-man-person-294476/

Giant Tortoises at the Greensboro Science Center

On Monday, we visited the Greensboro Science Center, which has an outdoor zoo area called Animal Discovery in addition to the SciQuarium mentioned in my previous article http://whatsgoodingreensboro.blogspot.com/2014/08/penguins-at-greensboro-science-center.html . One of the animals housed in this outdoor exhibit is the giant tortoise. The Greensboro Science Center has two kinds of tortoise, the Aldabra and the African Spur Thigh. 

There are several turtles in the exhibit, and although they aren't quite as huge as, say, the Galapagos tortoise, they are pretty sizable--MUCH bigger than anything you will find crossing the road, that's for sure! (I always stop to help tortoises cross the road, and I hope you do, too). According to Wikipedia, the Aldabra tortoise is powerful enough to knock trees over while foraging, but no worries: they're vegetarians, and you could outrun them, anyway! 

One of the Aldabra tortoises relaxing in the pool. Note the distinctly saddle-shaped shell. Aldabra tortoises are named for their place of origin, the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles islands. I think he's cute! 

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!

Photos are my own. (c) Ali E. McCartney

October Greensboro City Council Meetings

The October meetings of the Greensboro City Council are scheduled for October 7th and October 21st, both Tuesdays, in the Council Chamber in the Melvin Municipal Building, located at 300 West Washington Street in downtown Greensboro. Meetings begin at 5:30 pm and are open to the public. If you can't make it to a meeting in person, you can watch the live broadcast on GTN (Greensboro Television Network; check with your service provider for channel) or on live streaming video at http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/WatchMeeting

To catch up on the details and minutes of all the Greensboro City Council meetings that you may have missed, visit this link: https://greensboro.legistar.com/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=23255&GUID=DB1BF63F-EC8D-4FE7-A38F-EED24B626938&Mode=MainBody
It's always good to stay informed about our city!

You can also find What's Good in Greensbroro? on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whats-Good-in-Greensboro-848569635208317/ . See you there!


Photo from http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1409594