Winter - Elizabeth Community

Basketball helps churchget in the game ofrethinking churchby Susan Passi-KlausFor almost 85 years childrenhave played there, youth groupshave gathered there, Boy & GirlScouts have assembled there.Beneath the wooden rafters,since the days before Plexiglasbackboards, back when freethrows were tossed from thekeyhole and basketballswere laced together –generations of amateurhoopsters have scoredthere. High on thenewly painted wallsurrounding thetimeworn basketballcourt is a sign that says,“If you enjoy our gym,you’ll love our sanctuary.Join us for Worship EverySunday 11:00 AM.”The old gym at HawthorneLane United MethodistChurch has always been akind of community landmarkin Charlotte, North Carolina.It was built back in 1925 –eleven years after the churchsanctuary went up in the urbancommunity that is close todowntown. Although churchmembers have used it throughthe years for everything fromdodge ball and sock hops tofundraiser events and children’sactivities, it is finding renewedlife as a regular sports venuefor an enthusiastic team ofyoung men who gather to playbasketball every Monday night.What started out as a freeplace to shoot hoops has turnedinto a ministry for Christianb-ballers.Nancy Albertnewsletter704 719 1255noalbert@carolina.rr.comFreda Zehmembership704 333 3127fzeh@gmail.comKara Goodingcankerworm/trees704 604 5660Kara_gooding@hotmail.comBeth Haennisocial704 332 7992beth.haenni@gmail.comDana Ingecrime704 968 3234kayak1010@hotmail.comDeborah Johnsonmembership704 353 1179djohnson147@carolina.rr.comTerry Lettblock captain/advertising704 377 0052terryp.lett@gmail.comAmanda Loftusrace704 608 9089aemloftus@yahoo.comMatt NurkinECA president704 617 8610mnurkin@cogdellspencer.comMaya Packardsocial704 334 2196mpackard@carolina.rr.comRuffin Pearcevice president704 331 4989rpearce@wcsr.comSusan Plotttreasurer704 575 2259splott@carolina.rr.comSave the date: Elizabeth holiday partySaturday, December 12Drop-in from 7 to 11 pm2404 Kenmore Avenueat the home of Reid and Diana WatsonPlease bring an appetizer or dessert to share.Todd Rubensonsecretary704 386 4401todd.rubenson@bankofamerica.comMelanie Sizemorezoning704 335 0909msizemore@realindex.comPeter Tartzoning704 372 4147petart@carolina.rr.comRoxie Townszoning/beautification704 342 1000Amy Williamssocial704 491 8240awill@catocorp.comJOIN THE ECANever doubt that a small,group of thoughtful,committed citizens canchange the world. Indeed,it’s the only thing that everhas..– Margaret Meadcover photo by Steve Perill circa 1974 – all other photos by Nancy Albert except as noted“There’s a right way and awrong way to play basketball,”said Mike Carr, associate pastorat Hawthorne Lane.“On the court guys can getpretty hot-headed and not treateach other very well, but in ourgym we can model Christ-likebehavior and get players tothink before they act or speak.”Carr himself is right in themiddle of the Monday nightcourt action. Joined by three orfour church members, he hasopened the doors of the gym towelcome average guys from thelocal young adult community.In the beginning some folksin the congregation wonderedwhat basketball had to do withchurch, but the young pastordeadline for spring 2010:Feb. 15theditorial content:noalbert@carolina.rr.comadvertising:terryp.lett@gmail.com-------------------------------------full page adsize: 6.53” x 7.53”(1306 x 1506 pixels)half page adsize: 6.53” x 3.715”(1306 x 743 pixels)quarter page adsize: 3.205” x 3.715”(641 x 743 pixels)biz card adsize: 3.205” x 1.8065”(641 x 361 pixels)classified ad1 column wide, 4 lines deepwith 1 line bold, 3 regularspecs: full size b&w jpeg or pdf,200 dpi, NO WORD DOCS!to shivita@mac.comAd placement is atthe designer’sdiscretion.2 the people pages the people pages 3

Walking the Greenwayby Nancy AlbertTerry Lett and I like to walk;between us we’ve probablywalked every street inElizabeth. So looking to expandour horizons and inspiredby a booklet put out byMecklenburg County Park andRecreation, we decided to trywalking Charlotte’s Greenways.The booklet includes mapsof each greenway segment,gives the number of miles foreach trail, shows parking areasand contains lots of helpfulinformation. It decribes theGreenways as “linear parksthat connect people and placesby linking neighborhoods,schools and shopping areas.They also protect water qualityand wildlife habitat whileproviding alternative ways tomove through the city.” Thereare currently more than 30miles of greenway trails inMecklenburg County withmore being built every year.We began our project on a coldlate October day by attemptingto walk the Little Sugar Creektrail from Alexander Park, offEast 10th Street. No luck.The greenway was closed dueto construction. So we drovedown Central Ave. and triedthe Briar Creek greenway,which you enter from MasonicDrive. It is a pleasant woodedtrail but it was not long enoughto satisfy our need for a goodwalk. If you try this one, makesure to take a close look at theArt Nouveau-style bridge overBriar Creek on Central Ave.We had better luck the nexttime we tried. After parking atthe Nature Museum in FreedomPark and sharing a simplepicnic, we took Little SugarCreek Greenway all the way toBrandywine Road behind thePark Road shopping center.This gave us a good couple ofmiles of walking. If you walkhere be sure to check out thesculptured wood creatures atthe little sitting area at thetrail’s end. From Freedom Parkit is also possible to walk towardMorehead on a paved trail thatclosely follows the creek bed.Our goal is to eventuallywalk all of the greenways. Weparticularly look forward tothe opening of the segmentrunning from Morehead andalong Kings Drive, behindthe Metropolitan complex,which is quite close to ourown neighborhood. Already animpressive array of terraces,fountains and bridges areappearing there. All of thegreenway trails are pedestrian,bicycle, child and pet friendlyand we in Charlotte are verylucky to have them. So puta leash on the dog or pullout the jogging stroller.Perhaps one day soon ourpaths will cross.For more informationgo to: www.parkandrec.com/greenwaysElizabeth Home Toura successby Rosalie SpanielWe did it again – thanks tothe generous support of localbusiness, the willingnessof Elizabeth home owners,incredible volunteers and nearly600 visitors who toured the sixhomes and two gardens on the2009 Elizabeth Home Tour.“We can chalk up anothersuccess for the Home Tour, inspite of today’s challengingeconomic conditions,” saidMaya Packard, 2009 HomeTour chair. “Many of our localbusinesses stepped up tosupport their neighborhood,and folks from all overCharlotte and beyond came towalk our tree-lined streets andsee our beautiful homes.“Once again, tour-goers wereenthusiastic in their praise andwe heard so many commentsabout the welcoming spirit ofthe Elizabeth neighborhood.Of course, the generosity ofElizabeth homeowners andbusinesses is the real reason wecan boast of another success.We couldn’t do this without allof you.”The 2009 homeownerhosts were Robb andTammie Beatty of East5th Street, Tanja Bechtlerand Bob Teixeira of LamarAvenue, Eleanor Hatcherand Mark Staub of East 8thStreet, Kathy Kennedy-Millerand Brent Miller of ClementAvenue, Jim and Linda Nashof East 9th Street, and Patand Hillary Rondero of NorthCaswell Road. Gardens wereopen at the homes of Peterand Kay Minor and AdrienneThompson, both on East 8thStreet. The Charlotte Councilof Garden Clubs house wasartfully decorated for variousholidays and special occasions.St. John’s Baptist Churchshowcased its new Letourneauorgan with concerts throughoutboth tour days by organistsfrom across the city.This year’s sponsors were:Title: Crisp Seventh StreetCafé and Presbyterian HospitalPlatinum: Carolinas MedicalCenter, Mercy; T.R. LawingRealty, Inc. and Fuze SalonGold: Diana Watson – HelenAdams Realty; Carpe Diem; M.Pete, Inc.; Open Door Studios;Brixx; and Elizabeth SquareApartment HomesSilver: Iron Butterfly Studios;Prudential of the Carolinas-- Fred Holder; CookingUptown; Hawthorne’s NY Pizza& Bar; Charlotte Council ofGarden Clubs; 8th Street YogaStudio; The Royal Gardens;Jane & Roxie Towns, Dickens-Mitchener; Dish; WoodruffArchitecture; Emily Zarbatany-- HM Properties; Edward JonesInvestments, Tom Higgins;Solow Design Group; JackalopeJacks; Visulite Theatre; NothingBut Noodles; Ooh-La-La’s;Isabella; Charlotte Urban Home6 the people pages the people pages 7

Magazine; and Music Togetherof Charlotte.Flowers for the homes weresupplied by Something Classic;The Blossom Shop; CarolynShepard Design Group;Midwood Flower Shop; NectarFloral Designs; and FlowersPlus. A special thanks goes toOoh-La-La’s for opening itsdoors for our Homeowners’Dinner on Saturday night.Serving with Packard on theplanning committee were DawnBallenger, Dianna Desaulniers,Jane Maguire, StephanieMcKee, Megan Roberts, RosalieSpaniel, Michel Van Devender,and Jessica Woodruff. Homebios were written by AnnBaldwin, Glynda Bullington,Miriam Durkin, Kathy Haight,and Spaniel. Graphic designand materials for the 2009Home Tour were provided byKen Magas Design, Inc.We urge you to support thesecompanies and thank them fortheir support of this event.And now it’s time to beginthinking about the 2010tour. Planning will begin earlynext year and all communityresidents are encouragedto become involved. E-mailmpackard@carolina.rr.com ifyou’d like to have your homefeatured on the tour or ifyou’d like to join the planningcommittee. “We need thesupport of everyone in thecommunity to continue to havesuccessful tours,” Packard said.Resident artisanscontribute to historicZiem House on 8th St.by Peter TartIn 1909 when Harry and NancyZiem bought their vacant lot at1812 East 8th Street, they hadcertain ideas about what makesa good home. Solid materials, atouch of the day’s architecturalfashion and a meaningfulcollection of art, some by Mr.Ziem himself, gave the Ziemhome the character that theZiem’s felt was so important toa comfortable life.Born in Chicago in 1865, Harrywas witness to the Chicagofire at the age of 6 and thatexperience left a lifetimeimpression. In choosing thematerials for the family’s home,Mr. Ziem made the practicaldecision to use fireproofcomponents. Likewise, hisartistic background – his unclewas the German painter FelixZiem – gave him the courageand confidence to design andbuild his own home. Ziem chosecast, articulated, concrete blockand a tin shingle roof to avoidthe devastation of fire and hadthe home built to reflect thefashion of the day, a foursquarestyle type house using primarilymail-ordered parts. Eclectic inhis taste, Harry chose classicIonic columns, a Victorian ovalglass entry door, a split-sashleaded glass accent windowtypical of a foursquare, andexposed rafter tails at the eavesof the main roof – a commoncraftsman style detail. Whilethese dissimilar design detailsare uncommon together, theyseemed to have satisfied thecreative Ziem family – Nancywas a milliner (hat maker)with the Hamilton MillineryCompany on Tryon whereHarry was a salesman until1914 when he left to paintornamental signs full-time.Unfortunately, wear-&-tearand over 9 different ownerssince Mrs. Ziem’s passing in1962 had tarnished the overallphysical appearance of thehome. The 100 year-old roofwas rusting (but not leaking),the decorative leaded-glassaccent window had long agobeen removed and replacedwith a single sheet of glass,the porch railing had beenreplaced, if it had ever existedat all, with a makeshift 2x4cap and three different ad-hocpicket profiles at a confining36” high and the entry stepshad been replaced with pouredconcrete risers too high forcomfort.Overall, the dark red paint onthe exterior walls concealedthe varying textures of thecast concrete block. Beingaware of the lost luster of theoriginal home, Jared and NicoleGardner sought design help torestore an aesthetic characterto the home and bring life backto the exterior once again.Local architect Peter Tart(Elizabethan for 13 years)and local landscape designerRick Solow (fixture of theneighborhood for 22 years)were commissioned for thedesign work, restricted in scopedue to the Historic Landmarkstatus of the property.The designers, working inpartnership with the HistoricLandmarks Commission, wereable to present elements toenhance the home withoutcompromising the historicproperty with:1. a low granite wall at thesidewalk edge giving thesloping yard a sense ofcohesion and grounding;2. a low substantial porchguardrail similarly providinga needed consolidation ofarchitectural elements;3. a decorative leaded glassaccent window at the frontporch filling an obvious void;4. restoration of the Victorianentrance door, rebuilding ofthe entrance steps & approach,and replacement of thedeteriorated tin shingle roof.Acting as their own contractor(like Mr. Ziem before them)the Garners enlisted the helpof David Gardner (Jared’sbrother and craftsman) andother neighbor artisans tocomplete the work. MargaretFleeman, Elizabeth residentfor 10 years, several doorsaway on 8th Street, wasconsulted extensively oncolor schemes. Her career indeveloping product lines forhome fashion for Springs Mills8 the people pages the people pages 9

and Fieldcrest Cannon hasnow led to consulting for homeinteriors and exteriors. Herchoices of color complimentedthe rich architectural trim whilerevealing the unusual textureof the building’s concrete blockexterior.8-year Elizabeth resident BrianSnyder has lived on Lamar justa block away and beautifullyrestored the worn and damagedVictorian door, reconstructingparts of the hand carvingdamaged over time. He’s amusician and singer/songwriterby trade but had previouslytrained as a furniture restorerunder the guidance of MasterCraftsman Alan Noel in Atlanta.The project’s architect, PeterTart, who lives several blocksaway had also trained in anearlier life as a craftsmanof furniture. Peter built &installed the hardwood railingsystem and the detailedaccent window, reflectingthe substantial materials andcraftsmanship that helpedcreate this home 100 years ago.Aware of Mr. Ziem’s penchantfor quality, longevity and theartist’s touch, I think he wouldbe pleased with the work andthe participation of residents inthe renovation. Elizabeth is richwith homes eclectic in style andcharacter and it’s gratifyingto see a 100-year old housethat has benefitted from thetalents of artisans who call thisneighborhood home.Mark Your Calendars forthe 2010 Elizabeth 8Kby Amanda LoftusThe 2010 Elizabeth 8K willhit the streets on Saturday,April 17. This will be the 24thannual edition, making itthe second oldest 8K race inCharlotte. Runners and walkersare delighted year after yearwith the scenic course throughour neighborhood and thehospitality of our community.Proceeds from the race directlybenefit the Elizabeth residents.The event is one of the ECA’slargest fundraisers and in 2009contributed more than $7,600towards the beautification ofour common areas and thereplenishment of trees.The 2009 race saw recordparticipation despite less thanideal weather, and we hopeto see even more people atthe starting line on April 17.Registration is now open, andyou can sign up by visitingwww.elizabeth8k.com andregistering online or printingand mailing an entry form.If you would rather contributeto the cause from behind thescenes, we can certainly useyour help as more than 60volunteers are needed on raceday to ensure a well-executedand successful event.Please contact AmandaLoftus at 704.608.9089 oraemloftus@yahoo.com withquestions or to get involved.We hope you’ll be a part of ourannual tradition!Baking 101by Nikki Sawyer MooreThe holiday season is upon us,which means that on top ofbeing busy and stressed, we alsohave very long to-do lists. Mostlikely in the midst of all thisholiday chaos, you also haveplans to exert your domesticgod or goddess gene andbake homemade treats for theholidays. Your goal of findingan hour or two for baking maybe overly ambitious (what goalduring December isn’t?), butin an effort to help you achievesuccess I’ve included sometips for better baking. Takemy advice and I promise thatyour afternoon of baking willyield not only edible, but alsodelicious holiday treats.Measure your ingredientsproperly. A little of this andsome of that may work well withcooking, but baking requiresyou to be exact. Consequently,be sure to follow recipesexactly as they are writtenand be precise with yourmeasurements. Measure dryingredients in dry ingredientmeasuring cups (the kind thatstack inside each other) andmeasure liquid ingredients ina liquid measuring cup (thisis a glass or plastic measuringcup with measurements listedon the side). When measuringflour, spoon the flour into a drymeasuring cup and then levelit off with a knife. For brownsugar, be sure to pack thebrown sugar down to get theproper measurement.Know the temperature ofyour oven. Just because youset your oven to 350 degrees,does not mean that it is 350degrees. Oven temperaturesvary and finding out the actualtemperature of your oven iscrucial for proper baking. Anoven thermometer is a cheappurchase that will immediatelyprove itself useful when yourealize that your oven isactually 10 degrees cooler thanyou thought it was!Rotate your baking sheet. Haveyou ever noticed that somecookies on a baking sheetwill brown more quickly thanothers? This happens becauseall ovens have hot and coldspots. For even baking, rotateyour baking sheet halfwaythrough the cooking time.Ready to hit the kitchen? Tryout my Grandmother’s recipefor sugar cookies that havebeen a favorite holiday treatin my family for years. Perfectfor the holidays, these cookiesfreeze well allowing you to bakethem well in advance and thenpull them out as needed duringthe busy holiday season.Grandma Betsy Sawyer’sSugar Cookies2 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup unsalted butter,softened1 cup granulated sugar1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon whole milk2 egg whites, beatenPreheat oven to 375 degrees.Line two baking sheets withparchment paper.Sift together 1 1/2 cups flourand baking powder. Beat thebutter in an electric mixer onmedium-high speed until lightand fluffy. Add the sugar, egg,vanilla, and milk and continuemixing until the ingredientsare well combined. Add theremaining flour and mix untiljust incorporated. The doughwill be thick. Remove thedough from the mixer andwrap it tightly in plastic wrap.Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.On a lightly floured surface, rollout the dough until it is 1/8”thick. Cut out your desiredshapes using cookie cuttersand place the cut-out doughon the parchment lined bakingsheets. Using a pastry brush,brush the tops of the cookieswith the egg white and decoratewith sprinkles if desired. Oncethe cookies are decorated, bakefor 8 to 10 minutes. Allow thecookies to cool slightly beforetransferring them to a wirecooling rack. Enjoy!10 the people pages the people pages 11

Today we’re seeing that climate change is about more than a few unseasonably mild winters or hot summers. It’s about the chain of natural catastrophes and devastating weatherpatterns that global warming is beginning to set off around the world, the frequency and intensity of which are breaking records thousands of years old. –Barack Obama12 the people pages the people pages 13

Yikes!by Nancy AlbertThe remnants of Tropical StormIda brought heavy rain andhigh winds to Charlotte in earlyNovember. This large tree fellonto the Baxter McRae houseon Greenway Ave. Fortunatelythe house was unoccupied atthe time and no one was hurt.This dramatic scene remainedfor nearly a week, attractingthe curious, until the tree wasfinally removed.I was a teenagethrift shop junkieby Little ShivaMy mom got me started earlyon the path of trash worship,if you expand the definitionof trash to include stuff otherpeople don’t want anymore. Wewere regulars on the yard saleand thrift shop circuit, and shekept me dressed in all kinds offunny little outfits that she’deither make from scratch orassemble from various thriftshop finds. It’s not like wenever bought anything new,but you can’t beat shoppingon the cheap. In Californiain the late 70’s we even gotinto dumpster diving behindbig supermarkets ‘cos it was adisgrace to see all the still-goodfood they threw away – butthat’s another story.The Big Three in the charityshop biz are The SalvationArmy, Goodwill and St. VincentDe Paul. They all have tiesto religious organizations, ofcourse, and you can read allabout that on their websites.Speaking of websites, I justdiscovered that Goodwillhas an online auction site,the thrift shop version ofe-bay! Check it out at www.shopgoodwill.com.Charlotte artists and theatrepeople are surely fans of theGoodwill on Freedom Drive,where the clothes are piledup in bins and you pay by thepound; I’m still envious of afab tutu someone got to beforeme. It’s in the same run-downstrip mall as another one of myCharlotte faves, Value Village.They’re a little more upscale atVV – they put their clothes onhangers. Of course, most otherGoodwill stores do too.Shopping at thrift shops isgood for the environment:buying used stuff instead ofnew uses less natural resourcesand reduces the amount thatgoes to landfills for that muchlonger. Use it, use it somemore, and pass it on. And whenyou just don’t want your stuffany more, you know what todo: donate! To make it easy forElizabeth residents, Goodwill issending a trailer your way. Getyour stuff ready, people!www.salvationarmyusa.orgwww.goodwill.orgwww.svdpusa.orggrrrr, what aboutthe climate?by Little ShivaYou’ve probably heard aboutthe United Nations ClimateChange Conference coming upin Copenhagen in December(http://en.cop15.dk). But haveyou heard of Climate JusticeAction? (www.climate-justice-action.org) It’s aninternationalcall to civildisobediencewith tons offun protestactivitiesplanned forthe duration ofthe summit. I’ll be in thestreets of Copenhagen onDec. 12 wearing a polarbear mask made of whiteplastic grocery bags. Incase you have no idea whatI’m talking about, checkout “fondle yer stuff” atwww.visibletrash.net.14 the people pages the people pages 15This statue is part of a group in the Children’s Memorial Walkway along the Irwin Creek Greenway. ▼

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