Fall - Elizabeth Community

Nancy Albert
newsletter
704 779 0932
noalbert@carolina.rr.com
Russell Crandall
traffic, trees
704 344 0897
rucrandall@davidson.edu
Beth Haenni
vice president, social
704 332 7992
beth.haenni@gmail.com
Jenny Holman
secretary
704 313 8079
jennyholman@mac.com
Dana Inge
crime dudette
704 968 3234
kayak1010@hotmail.com
Terry Lett
business liaison/block captain
704 377 0052
terryp.lett@gmail.com
Amanda Loftus
Elizabeth 8k race
704 608 9089
aemloftus@yahoo.com
Kristan Magas
Parks & Rec liaison
704 347 4763
kdm2201@gmail.com
Ruffin Pearce
zoning/real estate/legal
704 331 4989
rpearce@wcsr.com
Susan Plott
treasurer
704 575 2259
splott@carolina.rr.com
Monte Ritchey
president
704 334 6964
mritchey@conformitycorp.com
Melanie Sizemore
zoning/real estate
704 335 0909
msizemore@realindex.com
SAVE THE DATE
Elizabeth potluck dinner and annual meeting
Monday, September 19, 6:30-8 pm at St. John’s Baptist
(corner of Hawthorne & 5th), Broach Hall – enter from rear
of church. The Elizabeth Community Association will provide
pasta and drinks, but please bring a covered dish, appetizer
or dessert, as well as $20 to renew your annual membership.
Peter Tart
zoning/real estate
704 372 4147
petart@carolina.rr.com
Amy Williams
social
704 491 8240
awill@catocorp.com
JOIN THE ECA
For when two beings who
are not friends are near each
other there is no meeting,
and when friends are far
apart there is no separation.
– Simone Weil
✤
Artists to my mind are the
real architects of change,
and not the political
legislators who implement
change after the fact.
–William S. Burroughs
front cover: Liam Robinson plays at the opening of the farmers’ market – photo by Nancy O. Albert / back cover: photo by Ken Magas
Elizabeth
Home Tour 2011
by Diana Watson
This year’s Elizabeth Home
Tour on October 1st and
2nd will showcase seven
extraordinary homes and
three unique gardens. Check
out one of the oldest homes
in Elizabeth, a grand 1913
neoclassical home with an
expansive front porch and
chicken coop in the backyard!
There are two colonial revival
homes on tour this year. The
1934 home is bursting with
vibrant colors for a young
family with three sons. The
1935 home was remodeled
this past year keeping in mind
historical preservation and
green technology. A 1921
bungalow has had a second
story added but still retains
the original character: notice
the bead board ceiling in the
kitchen and the transoms in the
hallways. A 1929 vintage home
boasts the original footprint
and houses an interesting
collection of horses. The
newest home in our community
built just this past year has a
traditional exterior and modern
open floorplan. The third time
on tour for a 1932 bungalow
graced by palm trees, exotic
black bamboo and whimsical
lollipop trees. Two of the homes
are opening up their gardens,
plus a breathtaking “Southern”
garden beckons with a creative
use of ironwork and statues.
CMC-Mercy Hospital has just
finished their renovation and
is opening up their lobby to all.
There will be a pianist, tours of
the art collection, refreshments
and information tables. The
Master Gardeners have just
completed a demonstration
garden at 1418 Armory Drive;
they will be available for tours
and gardening questions.
deadline winter 2011:
Nov. 15th
editorial content:
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advertising:
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The families who are graciously
sharing their homes and
gardens this fall:
Jeremy Carter
and Jason McLawhorn
2220 Vail Ave
Beth Harden
and Geoff McLaughlin
2416 Kenmore Ave
Paula Lechner
2120 Kenmore Ave
Michel and Ladd
VanDevender 2421 E 5th
Kim and Harris Lineberger
2125 Greenway
Mary Hahn and Chris Fetter
1928 E. 9th St
Kirsti Nelson
616 Pecan Ave
John Denti
651 Louise Ave
Tickets for the tour will be
available mid-September at
Royal Gardens on 7th and
Red Sky Gallery on Elizabeth
Avenue. Royal Gardens, Red Sky
and Mercy will all have ticket
sales during the event.
Volunteers are still welcome!
Contact Stephanie McKee
(smckee@theconegroup.
com) or Tammy Herrmann
(tammyh@carolina.rr.com) to
volunteer to greet visitors to a
home.
Check out the new Elizabeth
website to see pictures of the
homes and for more details:
www.elizabethcommunity.com
See you on tour!
Elizabeth welcomes
a Charlotte landmark
by Beth Haenni
Do you know you can now
walk to Charlotte’s oldest (and
best!) children’s book & toy
store The big purple house on
7th Street (the former La Tea
Da’s) is the new home of Black
Forest Books & Toys.
Black Forest was Charlotte’s
first children’s bookstore,
founded 33 years ago, and was
one of the first five children’s
bookstores in the U.S. The
shop boasts an extensive
collection of children’s books,
classics, and specialty toys.
Anyone who attends a local
birthday party can spot Black
Forest’s signature green
wrapping paper with white
polka dots on many of the
gifts. One of my favorite things
about Black Forest is the
knowledgeable staff, comprised
of former librarians and
educators. They love to help
shoppers pick out the perfect,
age-appropriate book or toy.
Our friends at Black Forest
are really excited to meet
the children and families in
Elizabeth. The big purple
house gives the shop more
room to offer story times,
author visits, game days, craft
days, and camps. “We look
forward to expanding our
community involvement to the
Elizabeth neighborhood,” says
“Toy Whiz” June Hargrove.
Black Forest is open now.
As you’re out walking the
Elizabeth Home Tour on
Saturday, October 1, stop
by the store for their grand
opening celebration.
Elizabeth
Farmers’ Market
by Diana Watson
My husband Reid and I just
want to give a big hug and
thanks to Chef Trey Wilson
of Custom House for making
a dream come true for many
Elizabeth residents. The first
Saturday the Elizabeth Farmers
Market opened, we took our
usual Saturday morning walk
with our dog Sister and headed
to Elizabeth Avenue. What
a treat to find fresh Atlantic
Flounder, pasta from Custom
Shop, blueberries, potatoes,
breads and pastries all provided
by North Carolina vendors
and just a short walk from the
house. Stone Seafood iced
down our fish and kept it
cool while we wandered over
to 1900 for a cold beer and
enchiladas. On the walk home
we reminisced about our tour
of Puerto Rico and how we were
spoiled by never having to shop
in a grocery store; we found all
our foods from the fishermen
photos by Nancy O. Albert
that fished on our beach, the
egg lady across the street and
even the farmer who would stop
his truck at our home and honk
to see if I wanted vegetables.
We felt we had arrived againfresh
food all within walking
distance of our kitchen!
The following Saturday we were
on the bikes to the market and
ran into a neighbor walking
who could not find the market,
she was on her way home empty
handed. The market is located
in the parking lot next door
to 1900 the Mexican Food
restaurant, there are white
tents set up for the vendors and
plenty of parking. I hope all of
you take a Saturday morning
stroll and try out the farm fresh
vegetables, local honey, fresh
Carolina shrimp and bakery
breads. On your way home
count your blessings for living
in such a vibrant, minutesfrom-everything,
tree-lined,
great neighborhood.
Independence park
adoption update
by Kristan Magas
Thank you to all who have
braved the heat to help us with
our park clean-up efforts this
summer. I know that it has been
rewarding for me and my family
to spend the time playing in
and exploring the park while
helping to keep it beautiful. As
you may know, we have teamed
up with the Hawthorne’s Pizza
folks in this effort and it has
been wonderful working side
by side with them in the park.
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The feedback that I have gotten
from neighbors has also been
a great help to alert the staff
about any issues in the park
that need attention.
Please visit the link www.
elizabethcommunity.com/
volunteer/park-clean-upprogram
to volunteer. We
especially need help with the
monthly projects, which fall on
the second Saturday of each
month. It is a great way to work
with fellow neighbors, and
friends of our park, as well as
to show how much we care for
this historically important and
beautiful park
Elizabeth to turn seven
nails into a home
by Yolanda Garcia
In 1907 President Theodore
Roosevelt shook over eight
thousand hands in one day,
James E. Casey founded
the US Postal Service, and
Independence Park opened in
Charlotte.
The park has silently shared
memorable moments with its
visitors. Memories include
families walking and couples
sitting on benches sipping
morning coffee. Homeless
people who sleep on those
same benches arrive at night to
keep the park company, often
departing at first light.
Meditating at the park, we
wonder what our purpose is
and we decide to make history.
After all, there’s no need to be a
famous person to add our name
photo by Nancy O. Albert
to the history books: all we
need is the desire to make
a change.
In 2010 The Consumerist
reported that one in fifty homes
were foreclosed on Charlotte.
It was statistics like this that
inspired CPCC students to
create the volunteer project,
Swap to the Rooftop.
The goal of Swap to the Rooftop
is to turn seven nails into a
home for a family or person
in need. To accomplish this,
community trades will make
the dream come true. So far, the
seven nails have been traded
for running strollers, and the
running strollers have been
traded for a Natuzzi leather
sofa and coffee table.
The Elizabeth neighborhood
is known for coming together
and building strong community
ties. Please help us find a
deserving family who will one
day occupy their dream home
by submitting your story.
With your help, we can make a
difference. With your trades, we
can make history. Also, consider
trading that golf cart or boat
or appliance that has been
collecting dust. Help us barter
our way up to the house this
lucky family will occupy.
Visit www.swaptotherooftop.org
to find out how you can help
today. Thanks for being a great
community that continues to
make a difference.
The new Elizabeth
community website:
be here, live here,
share here
by Ken Magas
We all know The Elizabeth
Community is the best place
to live in the Queen City. Our
network of sidewalks, friendly
neighbors, wonderful homes,
pets, food and entertainment,
all makes for blissful living.
Nothing beats walking
through our neighborhood
and experiencing its
conversations, sights, sounds
and destinations.
The new Elizabeth Community
website strives to capture
this essence. Scout the
latest news, stroll through
neighborhood forum topics,
comment on the latest blogs,
view neighborhood photos
and submit your own. www.
ElizabethCommunity.com. It’s
all there for neighbors to be...
well, neighborly.
Help us paint the Elizabeth
canvas by participating in
our new website. Submit
information, volunteer for a
neighborhood event, become
a neighborhood member,
submit your “hood” photos.
Contribute and enjoy other’s
contributions. It’s all part of
the neighborhood now!
website features:
- latest neighborhood news
- online ECA memberships
- community events calendar
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photo by Yolanda Garcia

- contact Board & committee
members
- neighborhood newsletters
- neighborhood email groups
- volunteer sign-ups
- neighborhood event details
- live forum discussions
- neighborhood blog (in
development)
- neighborhood business
section (in development)
- facebook connect - like us!
- twitter connect - join us!
Join us on facebook. Tell
Elizabeth about your business
opening, your yard sale, the
iPhone you want to sell, or
whatever’s on your mind.
Discover people, things and
events in our neighborhood
you may never have known.
It’s a wonderful way to
connect on a large scale.
Sometimes neighborhood
businesses will post sales, food
specials and events to the
page. Stay in the loop! New
features and surprises will be
added frequently, so join and
log in soon and often.
Our Elizabeth twitter page
is alive and kicking. Updates
and live happenings are what
Twitter is all about. Connect
with us and stay abreast of
current information and
curiosities.
The Elizabeth Neighborhood
has been around since 1907,
but our online community
is new. Areas are still in
development. Articles are
still being forged. Forums are
still being created. The site is
photo by Nancy O. Albert
dynamic and evolving. Help
us make it as vibrant as the
neighborhood itself.
Be neighborly, see what
www.ElizabethCommunity.
com is all about. It’s our
neighborhood, online.
Almost done!
by Nancy Albert
It’s a bit of an eyesore, makes
both walking and driving
difficult and seems to have
gone on forever. The water
project began in our part of
the city during late winter in
the Sunnyside area and then
spread into the streets around
East 8th, Pecan and Hawthorne
Lane. It has given Elizabeth a
spring and summer of orange
cones, sidewalks lined with
long lengths of pipe, hydrants
dripping water, holes in the
road and wooden ramps. But
the end may be in sight.
I couldn’t find anything about
the project on the city’s website
so I asked Councilwoman
Patsy Kinsey if she knew more
about the duration of the water
project and she forwarded this
information.
According to project manager
Fred Hunter, “The only work
that remains to be done on this
project in the neighborhood is
the actual lining portion of the
existing water main in the 500,
600, and 700 block of Pecan.
This should take about another
two weeks. Once that work is
complete, we will move into the
final phase of the project, which
will involve the cleaning and
lining of the water main along
E. Seventh Street between the
Central Piedmont Community
College maintenance facility on
the west side of Charlottetowne
Avenue eastward to Ranier
Avenue (one block east of
Laurel Avenue). This has
involved obtaining an NCDOT
encroachment, coordination
with CDOT for the operation
of the overhead lane markers,
and the development of a
traffic control plan which
will allow continuous access
for emergency vehicles to
Presbyterian Hospital and
CMC. Some night work will be
required to excavate the bore
pits. We are presently working
to develop a schedule, which we
will present to the community
residents and businesses to
minimize disruptions.”
Yard Yak
by Kay Minor
Three ways to chill out in a hot
summer:
1. Buy a kiddie pool.
Mine came from Walmart.
Purchase price was thirty
dollars for a six feet wide by
sixteen inch deep, blue plastic
fish motif. You’ll need a five
gallon bucket to hold up the
molded pool sliding area,
and with water pressure like
mine, about thirty minutes of
h2o. For cooling, I walk to the
Friendly Mart with a hand truck
and haul 2 or 3 bags of ice.
When the pool party is over,
empty all water via buckets
to the nearest plants. Flip the
vessel on its side and roll to its
next destination. (I share mine
with neighbors.)
2. Hook up misters
to your garden hose.
Shopping in Lowe’s one day,
I noticed the cashier enveloped
in a fine cloud of cooling water.
It being 100 degrees that day,
I quickly joined her. Reasonably
priced, these misters come in
20ft lengths-10 feet of misting.
Supposedly, this lowers the
temperature by 20 degrees, but
all the effort is worth it for bird
watching.
3. Install an
outdoor shower.
Fall is the perfect time to
purchase an outdoor shower,
because it’s usually on sale.
Restoration Hardware use
to have a fabulous one, user
friendly and weather resistant.
Mine hooks directly to a y
connector on the garden hose:
flip the switch and you’re
ready. Modest persons may
require some type of screening.
Two posts and a few feet of
clothesline with a couple of
beach towels will do the trick.
Alternatively, hang a good sized
bell nearby to warn the timid.
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Good news, bad news
by Frances D’Amato
Do you remember the old
Chinese fable “good news, bad
news” It goes something like
this: a son came home and the
father said “good news!”
The son fell and broke his leg,
father said “bad news.”
Army came to conscript
soldiers, son couldn’t be taken.
Good news.
Well, I have a modern-day
version: I was dog sitting my
neighbor’s dog and he ran
away: bad news.
A young couple found him:
good news.
Same couple stole my gold
jewelry and sterling silver
flatware. Bad news.
Couple confessed to police:
good news.
Couple said they sold all to
scrap metal dealer: bad news.
Some of my jewelry was hidden,
so they didn’t take it. Good
news.
I was so happy that my
neighbor’s dog was safe, I
attributed good intentions to
the young couple. They told
me a sad story about their
present circumstances: he was
on workman’s comp after falling
on his job, she had a long hours
job as a waitress at a golf club.
It never put my danger sign up
when they both asked to use
my bathroom. Little did I know
Jeremy was in my bedroom
photo by Nancy O. Albert
looking in my dresser drawer.
I had just taken my leather
jewelry case out of my safe
deposit box so it was in the
top drawer along with other
jewelry in boxes.
He called me into the bedroom
to show me that the hot water
faucet wasn’t working properly,
giving Christine time to clean
out the silver box that was
prominently displayed in the
dining room. He said he was
a plumber and could fix the
faucet. He came back with
a bag that contained a few
tools. and set to work in my
bedroom. When he called me
to see the repaired faucet I
was overjoyed and asked how
much did he want for the task
He told me $45. I thought
that was a bit high, but felt so
grateful to him for finding the
dog I paid it and even gave
him garden tomatoes and
cucumbers.
I forgot Jeremy and Christine
were strangers and allowed
them access to my home.
I won’t make that mistake
again. I’ve moved my silver
chest to a place where it’s not
as obvious. I photographed
all my remaining jewelry,
had it appraised and had the
list notarized. I returned my
Tiffany diamond and three
other rings to the safe deposit
box and put together sets
of earrings, necklace and
bracelets and put them in small
plastic bags before stashing
them in my new hiding places.
I kept a list of each item and
where the hiding place would
be located, and I’m keeping
that list in a safe place.
I have used things like vitamin
bottles for small earrings and
then put the vitamin capsules
on top before putting the
bottle in with the others. For
larger silver necklaces, I used
a Trader Joe’s coffee can, an
oatmeal tin and tea boxes. I put
the pieces I wear often in my
purse’s zippered pockets. The
purses are hanging in my office
closet. So now a thief would
need to go in all my rooms
and closets before gathering
jewelry.
I just hope I will stay vigilant.
The age of innocence is long
gone and even this senior is
realizing that the world of
trust and good neighbors has
passed. The good outcome of
all this is that I have decided
to give away more before it can
be taken from me.
Tomorrow a friend and I
will be going through my
closets to gather clothes for
Goodwill. I have sent pictures
of my jewelry to my nieces
and nephews and asked them
if they would like any of it.
I’ve also gone through what
remains and will take it to
Perry’s of South Park to turn
gold and silver into cash. I’ve
wanted to redo my garden
and have engaged a master
gardener to help. A neighbor’s
son will supply the muscle to
reshape the walkways. In this
way, good news will triumph.
Now to help you prevent theft
in your own house, here are a
few tips from Crime Stoppers.
– Be sure all doors are locked,
even when you’re home.
– Always have your alarm
system engaged.
– Get all jewelry appraised and
have a notarized dated copy.
– Take photos of all significant
jewelry.
– Give copies of above to your
insurance agent.
International House
by Rosalie Spaniel
Interested in learning a foreign
language Think it would be
fun to meet people from other
countries Willing to share
your home with a foreign
visitor
Nothing could be easier when
you live in Elizabeth. Just walk
over to International House
at 322 Hawthorne Avenue
and check out its programs
and cultural activities. The
nonprofit has been promoting
international understanding
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1928 E. 9th St. – photo by Ken Magas
12 the people pages the people pages 13

and serving Charlotte’s foreign
community since 1981. They’ve
been on Hawthorne Avenue
since 1985.
International House offers free
Language Conversation Hours
in Spanish, German, French,
Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese,
and Russian to give foreign
language students and area
residents a chance to meet
native speakers. Check out the
schedule on the International
House website and drop by
to brush up on your favorite
language. Eight-week programs
to learn Spanish, French, or
Mandarin Chinese are also
offered at International House
in cooperation with The
Language Academy. To find out
more about these reasonably
priced sessions, contact The
Language Academy, 704-548-
0048.
International House also hosts
cultural awareness programs
to introduce area residents
to the cultures of the foreign
countries represented in
Charlotte’s population – about
19 percent of the county’s
population.
“We work to introduce
Charlotte area residents to the
world and since 1986 we’ve
been introducing overseas
visitors to Charlotte,” says
Executive Director Denise
Long. Since 1986, International
House has been a member
of the National Council
for International Visitors,
a network of more than 91
programming organizations
across the country. The
program brings business,
governmental and academic
leaders from around the world
to meet with local professionals.
“These leaders stay with host
families, which gives the visitors
not only an opportunity to meet
their business and academic
counterparts, but also a chance
to see how American families
live. It’s a great opportunity
for them – and for the host
families,” Long says.
There are many volunteer
opportunities at International
House, including working in
the English tutoring program,
greeting visitors, helping with
office projects, and planning
and managing programs for
international visitors as part of
the Citizen Diplomacy Program.
To find out more about
International House and its
programs, go to www.ihclt.org.
Riding the
Gold Rush trolley
by Nancy Albert
The students at CPCC love it.
Many of them don’t have cars
and the free Gold Rush trolley
takes them to various areas of
the center city and connects
them to CATS buses and the
light rail. My co-worker, who
lives in Rock Hill, saves on gas
by riding the LYNX and then
taking the red trolley to our
office on Elizabeth Avenue. The
Gold Rush is a rubber-wheeled
trolley service operated by
CATS. It offers two circulating
lines in Center City. Not actual
trolleys, but small buses that
resemble historic streetcars,
they have run up and down
Tryon Street and west along
Trade Street through the
historic Fourth Ward for a
number of years. Last spring,
CATS began running Gold Rush
trolleys on an extended route,
with stops at the Johnson C.
Smith University campus on
the west and Central Piedmont
Community College to the
east. Before the extension,
the red line had stopped at
Gateway Village on West Trade
and the Elizabeth Avenue-
McDowell Street junction.
Gold Rush trolleys now travel
down Elizabeth Avenue and
turn around at Presbyterian
Hospital. They stop at regular
bus stops every seven to fifteen
minutes, depending on time
of day. These stops are scenes
of high activity, with folks
waiting, running to catch them
and hopping on and off. On
August 15, CATS extended the
Gold Rush Orange Line to the
Charlotte School of Law. Two
trips in the morning and four
trips in the afternoon will serve
the school.
The Gold Rush is a free service
and a great way to connect to
uptown and the LYNX Blue
Line. More information on the
Gold Rush, including a route
map, can be found at www.
charmeck.org/city/charlotte/
cats/Bus/ridingcats/Pages/
GoldRush.aspx.
photo by Nancy O. Albert
Hawthorne Lane UMC
Upcoming Events
by Rev.Terri Vilagos
Sunday, September 4th:
preparation for
remembrance – 11am
Special worship service focused
on prayer and meditation in
preparation for remembrance
of the tenth anniversary of
September 11th, 2001
Monday, September 5th:
Labor Day neighborhood
block party – 4-7 pm
The Elizabeth neighborhood
is invited to celebrate the final
weekend of summer with food,
fun, and info for all ages!
Featuring Charlotte area
community services, area
restaurants, and local church
ministries
Sunday, September 11th:
promotion Sunday &
backpack blessing – 11 am
All are invited to bring their
backpacks and briefcases to
receive a blessing for a fresh
start to the 2011-2012 school
year. There will also be a
children & youth kick-off for
spiritual enrichment activities
happening on Sundays at 4 pm.
Wednesday, September
14th: backpack blessing –
6:30 pm
All are invited to bring their
backpacks and briefcases to
receive a blessing for a fresh
start to the 2011-2012 school
year. There will also be a
14 the people pages the people pages 15

children & youth kick-off for
spiritual enrichment activities
happening on Wednesdays at
5:30 pm.
Saturday, October 29th:
Trunk or Treat fall festival –
6 pm
Wear your spookiest, silliest, or
prettiest costume to play games
and get loot from the seasonally
inspired trunks.
Saturday, November 5th:
Elizabeth Communities of
Faith food packaging event
Friday & Saturday,
November 4th & 5th:
annual church BBQ
The best barbeque in town can
be found at Hawthorne Lane
Church. Three sandwiches a
plate to go or all you can eat
buffet for $8.50. Proceeds go to
local and worldwide missions.
For more information on
these and other activities visit
our website www.hlumc.org.
Contact us at 704-332-8131
or info@hlumc.org. Find us on
facebook and twitter.
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