Friday Nights Under the Lights: Caked in love: Dinner With Friends:

Which High School Football A Blue-Ribbon Lesson Share A Meal With Us

Team Is Bound For Glory? in Baking and Life At The Vail House.
Page 11 Page 28 Page 34

EASTBOUND &
DOWNTOWN
Your Community Is Calling.
Fall 2019

Downtown Goldsboro is
thriving, thanks, in part, to
SPIRIT
From marching bands and
the Arts Council of HIGH SCHOOL football
Wayne County’s presence
there. So why is the to JROTC cadets and the
non-profit in jeopardy of
having to move? REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL fair,
Page 26
traditions run deep in Wayne County.
 Spirit. And Eastbound & Downtown is not where it ends.
It is the heartbeat of a community. Our sister website, NewOldNorth.com, is available 24/7 as well.
Whether it's an alma mater, a treasured landmark or a tradition, There you will find coverage of your community with everything
these are the things that make us who we are. from issues that matter to you to features with depth and heart.
It is why this theme — in our debut edition of Eastbound & Communicate with us — there or on Facebook — and share
Downtown — is so fitting. stories, tips and any other news you want us to know.
We are beginning a journey of discovery together, a new look at A lot of heart and soul goes into the words you will read on the
our community. pages that follow. We want the best for this
This will be a place where you can community, and that means sparing no
meet someone new or reconnect with a expense to give you the best product we can.
cherished friend. This month, you answer the question, “Are
We are going to tell stories — your you ready for some football?” and march
stories — in a way that you might along with a Goldsboro High School tradition
remember from the past and that we re-imagined.
hope you will enjoy well into the future. We will take you uptown, to a seafood spot
We love a lot about this community for a dinner with friends and a beer haven,
and the people who live and work here. and downtown with what’s next for your city’s
We get the thrill when an F-15E flies ever-changing center.
overhead, and feel the emotion when we And, of course, we will get you ready for the
salute the flag in honor of those who have fair, and share a few ideas of the places you
served and those who are still serving. can go if you are looking for a fun weekend or
We love the mix of old and new here, evening.
and the people who are moving this The look will be fresh and fun. We think
community forward while not forgetting quality matters.
its roots. Call it our contribution to that word with
We have met so many of you who which we began — spirit.
inspire us, and look forward to meeting those who have yet to tell It is what makes this community so ready for its next act.
their stories. And that is why we are here. And it is why we chose to showcase that journey.
We feel this community deserves more than just words thrown We love sharing with you. Make sure you share with us.
onto a page. People come to Wayne County from all over the world. We want
We will be sharing your successes, challenges and next acts once to share with them the best parts of this community, and welcome
a quarter. The topics will vary and the locations will span the county them to their adopted hometown.
and beyond. And we want to share their stories as well.
Look for new. Look for innovative. Look for a perspective you Our diversity and different experiences make us special. And
might not expect. that relationship is what makes us strong.
But know that what we will share will be about the best of who So pull up a chair, grab a sweet tea or a glass of chardonnay and
we are. join us for a chat. We think you will like what you see.

Publisher/Editor ............... Kenneth Fine

Photography/Design .......... Kenneth Fine
Advertising Director .......... Angela Michalek
Sales Associate .................. Amber Michalek

Eastbound & Downtown is

A New Old North Media LLC Production

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @NewOldNorth

E&D Fall 2019 Page 3

 THEIR
MIGHTY
RETURN
When Goldsboro High’s band
director took the job two
years ago, he said he would
get the marching band back
together again. Only a few
people believed him.

By KENNETH FINE

I
t’s Aug. 24, 2018.
The bleachers
that surround the
Goldsboro High School
football field are nearly
full, forcing spectators to
line the chest-high metal
fence that separates the
fans from the players.
 It might be only the second Northcutt said. “There was stuff
game of the season, but the everywhere — trash everywhere.
stakes couldn’t be higher for You could tell that this room was
both teams. The Cougars are just used as storage.”
hosting their crosstown rival, And when classes began a few
Eastern Wayne. days later, his roster left much to
The game would turn out to be desired.
be a nail-biter, decided by a field “You could tell that band had
goal in the waning seconds of become a dumping ground for
the fourth quarter — the sort of when kids didn’t want to do
outcome the other
that typically electives, so I
lingers until spent my first
the teams month, really,
meet again "I'm not just flushing
the following out my
season.
But the
gonna just classes,”
he said.
Goldsboro
faithful
throw things But the
community of
likely won’t
remember
together so proud GHS
alumni wasn’t
that partic-
ular game you can interested
in the
for what challenges
transpired say we Northcutt But the chatter continued, schedules, it was literally the
on the field. was facing. and Northcutt found that the week before the first home (foot-
Instead, have a band." They social media landscape was ball) game. In my mind, I thought,
at one point, that I was crazy,”
they’ll recall wanted particularly unforgiving.
long tweets — and they “There was a lot of talk and I Northcutt said. “But I knew what
chirping expected — to told my kids, ‘Ignore it. Focus on I had to do. And we only had four
out of a lone see a band. what we’re doing,’” he said. “And days. We hadn’t had band camp.
whistle and “I’m like, yes, after that first year, I asked Some of them didn’t touch their
the crash of cymbals. ‘No. No. Some of these kids myself, ‘Can I do this?’ But I told instruments since first semester
At long last, the Mighty haven’t touched an instrument those kids in the spring semester, last year, some of them didn’t
Marching Cougars were back. before. Some of them haven’t I said, ‘I promise y’all that band touch them over the summer.”
• touched an instrument since will be different next year. We’re Four days.
Rewind a little more than a middle school,’” Northcutt said. going to actually begin to Four days to create a sound
year when then-GHS interim “So, I said, ‘There ain’t no way. function as a band.’ I didn’t — one that would, at once, both
principal Dr. Marcia Manning I’m not gonna just throw things necessarily know how that was silence their critics and restore a
hired Kenneth Northcutt to together so you can say we have going to happen, but I said, ‘I sense of pride among those who
resuscitate the school’s a band.’” promise.’” remembered their own glory
defunct band program and what He found that the way it did So, when school resumed a days on the GHS campus.
transpired during that game work was to start with the basics, few weeks before the Eastern “For those four days, I pushed
seems all the more impressive. literally teaching the dozen or Wayne game, he held tryouts — those kids really, really hard. I
“I came the week before class so students who were serious not just for the band, but for his really didn’t know how it was
started and when I walked in (to about band how to hold a note on flag team and dancers. going to go, but I told them we
the band room) that July, it was whatever instrument they chose. Then, the real work began. were ready,” Northcutt said. "So
like Hurricane Katrina and Before they could do that, there “By the time we had tryouts we went out there. And honestly,
Hurricane Florence hit together,” would be no performances. and I had my kids switch their SEE MIGHTY, Page 6
E&D Fall 2019 Page 5
 MIGHTY
Continued from Page 5
I didn’t know what the community or the fans
were gonna think, but we did what we had to
do.”
Their goal was simple.
“I wanted people to know that the band
was coming, but that it wasn’t gonna happen
overnight. But for me, honestly, I just wanted
to get it over with,” he said. “I knew about the
high expectations … but it was about these
kids enjoying what it was like to have a band
back — for the community to enjoy what it
was like to have a band back.
"To go on that field — to go in that
stadium and have no other band, no other
organization but us performing on behalf of
Goldsboro High School — that, for me, was
an incredible feeling.”
Judging by the reaction of those in the
stands, you would have thought Northcutt’s
work was done.
Alumni and students pulled out their
cellphones and broadcast the band’s every
move on social media. They danced and
cheered on the young men and women they
knew were putting themselves on the line to
carry on a tradition that was almost forgotten.
“It was really incredible to witness,”
Northcutt said. “And when people found out
we had basically accomplished all that in
four days, they were shocked, honestly. To be
totally truthful, so was I.”
•
It’s May 25 and hundreds have converged
on downtown Goldsboro for the annual
Dillard/Goldsboro Alumni and Friends
Homecoming Parade.
As they wait for the procession to begin its
way down Center Street, they can hear long
tweets chirping out of a lone whistle and the
crash of cymbals.
Northcutt is standing in a field several
hundred yards away.
He looks over his shoulder at the rest of
the parade entries, looks up and takes a deep
breath.
 Moments later, he calls for his drum major
and yells “parade rest.”
"Y'all need to get yourselves together," he
says. "Make sure your uniforms are straight
5 and that we're looking sharp. Ladies, go
fans ahead and do whatever you need to do to fix
d to your hair and all that."
It's almost time.
Northcutt starts walking in between the
d lines of young men and women wearing
pen pressed white uniforms with blue and gold
nted trim. You can feel their excitement and sense
the the jitters.
e “We know what we have to do,” he says.
and “So, let’s go do it.”
it Northcutt knows the stakes are high —
that performing at this particular parade in
front of alumni who have traveled back to
r Goldsboro from across the country brings
of with it far more pressure than any football
as game or event his students have overcome.
This crowd remembers the "glory days,"
and for one weekend every year, they bask in
tt’s them.
So, when it was their turn to begin their
march along Center Street, they broke out
y into a rendition of “We Are Family.”
And when bystanders pulled out their
hey cellphones, danced, and started cheering,
e to Northcutt, at last, acknowledged his
tten. accomplishment.
“Man, that was something. To finish out the
out school year and do Goldsboro/Dillard, it was
very humbling. It was like a repeat of history,”
o be he said. “You know, I have friends and family
who have gone to this school and been in
this band. So, for me, I respect the legacy of
ged things that have happened, but it has been
at least 20 years since this school has had a
strong, comprehensive band program.
"We accomplished so much in a year. Just
n its think about it. We did all of this without a
ng band camp. Think about what’ll happen
the when we have one.”
Aug. 30 at Eastern Wayne, the community
will get a chance to see for itself.
For the Cougar football team, it might be
of a road game. But for the Mighty Marching
eep Cougar Band, every piece of Goldsboro is,
once again, home.

E&D Fall 2019 Page 7

A legacy of honor
Sure, the Eastern Wayne
Air Force JROTC program
wins awards. But the real victory
is changing the lives of
young men and women.

By KENNETH FINE

A
freshman girl with blonde highlights and long
fingernails isn’t OK with the Eastern Wayne
Air Force JROTC dress code. Not at all.
In fact, she considers quitting the program over it.
 She only signed up for the
class to appease her mother.
Both her older brother and sister
climbed the ranks during their
respective tenures at Eastern
Wayne and her mom “wanted to
see me in the suit, so I was like,
‘OK.’”
But when she was told she
would have to lose the highlights
and nails to meet N.C. 804’s
regulations, she resisted.
“I wanted to exit the door so
fast. The first day, they asked who
wanted to leave and I raised my
hand and walked out,” Genisis
Manzanares said. “I was like, ‘I’m
not changing my hair for this.’”
She had no idea that not sat-
isfying that urge would change
her life — that over the course of
three years she would transform
from the self-described “bad girl”
into the group’s incoming cadet
commander.
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“My first year of high school, I
didn’t have nothing to do. It was
just, go to school, get in trouble,
go back home, get in more trou-
ble,” she said. “And now, I come
here and have something to do.”
And she has found a sense of
pride — and purpose — in putting
on the dress blues her mother
always wanted to see her in.
“The first time I wore this
uniform, I was a rookie, so I had
no rank. I just had a nametag.
I would walk down the halls
and people would be like, ‘She
joined?’ I mean, let me tell you, I
used to be a bad freshman,” she
said. “They didn’t expect me to
come up in JROTC, but I proved
everybody wrong. They were
wrong and I was right. I proved
that if I work for something, I can
do it.”
• and deployments, his current
From the cockpit of an F-15E,
E&D Fall 2019 Page 9
there were likely times when the next generation is humbling.
Jesse Smith could see the cam- “Some of them go into the
pus where his military career military, but whatever they do
began. Long before the Air Force after they graduate, they find a
lieutenant colonel carved out a family here,” Smith said. “Seeing
career as a Strike Eagle weap- that, and seeing those bonds
on systems officer, he was just they’ve formed, it’s a cool thing.”
another high school cadet — a It’s no wonder that the
young man attending Southern Eastern Wayne JROTC program
Wayne High School, dreaming of has a deep tradition rooted in
a career in the military. excellence.
He knows what it feels like to Its first commander, the
represent the future of the Air late Col. James Hiteshew, who
Force in a county that, in many founded the program in 1980,
ways, is defined by its ties to was a Vietnam POW who spent
defending its nation. 2,186 days in captivity and
He understands just how far received a Silver Star for leading
JROTC can take somebody. a flight of fighter-bombers on a
And while his journey would strike against a heavily defended
include acceptance into the Air steel mill complex on March 11,
Force Academy and navigator 1967.
school, an assignment at Sey- According to his Silver Star
mour Johnson Air Force Base, citation, Hiteshew "led his flight
directly to the target, despite
role as the officer in charge of SEE LEGACY, Page 10
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Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of
HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.

Legacy
Continued from 9
marginal weather conditions
and the ever present danger
of surprise interception by
hostile aircraft and surface-to-air
missiles” and “disregarded very
serious damage to his aircraft
caused by hostile ground fire” to
ensure he delivered air power on
target.
Hiteshew was also awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross,
the Bronze Star, the Legion of
Merit and the Purple Heart.
His values are reflected in the
current iteration of N.C. 804.
The mission comes first.
And at Eastern Wayne, those
goals are determined by the
young men and women who run
the “cadet-owned” unit.
In recent years, their focus has
been on perfecting the art
of drilling.
And in the image of their
founder, members of N.C. 804
achieved excellence, winning
competitions across the state
and bringing home bragging
rights from the local Veterans
Day Parade.
They have also earned prized
“Distinguished Unit” honors
for two consecutive years. But
what makes this particular group
unique is that they don’t dwell
on past successes. Instead, they
thrive on the unknown each new
term brings.
“It’s where the cadets bring us.
We’ll see what this year holds,”
Smith said. “It’s just a matter of
the cadets figuring out what they
want to do and where they want
to go. It’s their program to take
wherever it is they want it because you can feel and I haven’t. So to see they have
to go.”
Air Force Master
Sgt. Lucious Turner
their eyes on you.”
But Genisis
would tell you
respect for us, when we should
have all the respect for them, it’s
just amazing.”
agrees. that you feel Soon, she hopes to join their
“We’ll wait and something else, ranks.
see what sparks too, something After graduation, she plans to
them, but what- she started to trade in those JROTC dress blues
ever it is, they’ll feel the moment for another uniform — as a corps-
win,” he said. “The she bought into man in the United States Navy.
tradition has always the JROTC
been there and it's way of life and For more about the program,
not going anywhere. accepted the fact scan the following QR code with
"The goal has always that she could turn your phone:
been to create better citizens for her life around.
America. But what I like most “Pride. A lot of pride,” she
about the way we do things is said. “That’s the best feeling. You
the growth I see in them. … They know, those veterans, they’ve
come in and they’re real quiet gone through it. They’ve gone
and timid. They don’t say any- through a serious, real struggle
thing. Then, you see them as se-
niors and they’re leading classes.
They’re standing in front of the
whole school giving speeches.
You see that growth in the kids.
What they accomplish here, it’s
incredible.”
•
It’s November 11 and the
members of N.C. 804 are among
hundreds set to take part in the
county’s annual Veterans Day
Parade.
With a history that includes
men like Hiteshew, and the
knowledge that in an Air Force
town, all eyes will be on them
as they make their way through
downtown, the weight of the
expectations is palpable.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Smith
said. “I feel it. I’m sure they feel
it.”
Former EWHS cadet com-
mander Ja’Shawn Faire says it’s
best to focus on the job at hand.
“Try not to think about the
crowd too much,” he said. “It’s
an amazing experience, but it’s
something you want to get right
 FRIDAY NIGHTs
UNder
the lights

High School
Football Preview
 Charles B. Aycock

Falcons ready to soar

By KENNETH FINE
Charles B. Aycock head coach Steve Brooks
is challenging his team to take “the next step”

N
after an emotional 2018 season.

obody really believed the

Charles B. Aycock football
team would recover after
quarterback Clay Matthews went
down against Goldsboro last fall.
 Seeing their field general suffer a season-ending
injury was emotional for the Aycock players.
“It hurt, man,” Taevian Jackson said. “It really hurt.”
But it also served as motivation — filling the
Golden Falcons with a sense of urgency to win for their
teammate.
“It was next man up,” Jackson said. “And we came
together.”
CBA rallied, winning three of their final four regular
season games to earn a playoff bid.
“Once we had that injury, nobody counted on us to
even go to the playoffs, but because of our leadership
and our character, that propelled us to making a run
there at the end,” CBA head coach Steve Brooks said.
And that same leadership is what Brooks believes will
lead to a successful 2019 campaign.
“I feel like we’ve got some really strong leadership
out there,” he said. “And we’ve got guys who have been
in some really big games — big battles — and those are
the guys who are holding the younger guys accountable.
That’s the most important thing in that locker room.
That’ll give you one or two wins every year.” CHARLES B. AYCOCK:
But the Golden Falcons have goals that stretch far
beyond a winning season. 2018 Record: 5-7
So during a team meeting in late July, Brooks chal-
lenged his players to dig deep — to ask themselves ques-
Head Coach: Steve Brooks
tions about just how far they can take a program that has Mascot: Golden Falcons
had its share of glory this decade.
“Can we take the next step? Can we be hosting a
playoff game? Can we compete and win our conference?
That’s something that’s been our goal since I got here,”
August 23 — Rosewood
Brooks said. “But in order to do that, we can’t look in the August 29 — @ Greene Central
rearview mirror. We can’t look back to the 2016 team that
was so good. None of those wins will count this year. It’s September 6 — Hunt
about what we do moving forward.”
Bringing back players like Jackson certainly helps.
September 13 — @ Goldsboro
The heavily recruited senior running back, who’s September 20 — North Johnston
seemingly a lock to play at the next level, had a breakout
junior season — rushing for more than 1,500 yards on September 27 — South Central
301 carries; finding the endzone 17 times.
The young man likes his team’s chances of turning
October 4 — Southern Wayne
some heads in the coming weeks — not just because of October 11 — @ New Bern
the talent the Golden Falcons display on the field, but
because of how they play. For each other. October 18 — J.H. Rose
“This summer, we’ve been working to get to (where
Brooks thinks we can go) but really, the important thing
October 25 — D.H. Conley
is that we’ve been coming together. We’re a family.” November 8 — @ Eastern Wayne
Family. It’s a word thrown around a lot in sports. But at
CBA, it’s more than that. It’s the way it’s always been.

E&D Fall 2019 Page 13

Eastern Wayne

Fear the spear

By KENNETH FINE
The Eastern Wayne Warriors might be
a young team, but their senior quarterback

H
has big plans for the 2019 season.

e wants to win the

rivalry game against
Goldsboro High, but
Eastern Wayne’s head coach says
he’s circling Game One — that
how his young team handles Hunt
on the road will say a lot.
 He is convinced that they have all the tools they need
to have a successful season — strong linemen, an athlet-
ic senior quarterback, speed and talent at receiver.
But it’s how Desmond Vaughn handles his role as the
leader on the field — how his teammates respond to
him — that will ultimately determine how far the
Warriors go, head coach Leander Oates said.
“That first game is going to be very big. How we
come in and play that one is going to carry over into
the big rivalry game against Goldsboro,” Oates said.
“So yeah, that first game, for us, this year, is going to be
vital.”
Vital because many of his players have never seen
the field on the varsity level in critical games.
So Vaughn, he said, is going to have to play big — just
like he did last year when he was surrounded by a slew
of senior talent.
“We have a senior quarterback and I told him that he
has to be the one to lead this young group,” Oates said.
“They’re going to be looking at him. He’s got to be the
guy that leads them. His reactions and how he carries
himself on and off the field, it’s pretty much going to set
the tone.”
Vaughn has proven he has the goods. EASTERN WAYNE:
Last season, the young man threw for more than 2018 Record: 5-6
2,200 yards and 23 touchdowns — adding another
score on the ground. Head Coach: Leander Oates
“You’ve just got to lead them. They’re going to act
how you act,” he said. “Coach is always on me about Mascot: Warriors
being the leader this team needs. So the older kids,
we’ve got to set an example and go from there.”
During the offseason, he did just that, from the prac- August 23 — @ Hunt
tice field to the weight room. Oates said the latter was
a priority — that he wanted to ensure his team was as August 30 — Goldsboro
physically strong as their opponents. September 13 — @ Greene Central
Vaughn feels prepared and even predicted a second
straight win against Goldsboro. September 20 — North Lenoir
And he hopes in his final season wearing the blue
and gold that he can lead his team to other big wins — October 4 — @ South Central
that he and his teammates will earn a trip back to the October 11 — @ Southern Wayne
playoffs; that they’ll make a deeper run than last year
when they lost in the first round to Jacksonville. October 18 — New Bern
Oates feels like the team has what it needs to
succeed. October 25 — @ J.H. Rose
If Vaughn can help the Warriors score, the other November 1 — D.H. Conley
side of the ball, particularly the stacked Eastern Wayne
defensive line, will get its job done. November 8 — @ Charles B. Aycock
“My (defensive) line is going to be my bread and
butter,” Oates said. “They’re going to handle business.”

E&D Fall 2019 Page 15

 Goldsboro

Cougars keep clawing

By KENNETH FINE
After a 7-7 season that ended with GHS
and first-year head coach Timothy Ray
losing in the second round of the state playoffs,
a speedy offense — and three standout seniors — look

A
to build on the program’s most sucessful run in years.

late field goal cost

them one game. Then
there was a fumble
into the opponent’s endzone.
 Close loss after close loss saw the Goldsboro High
School football team finish what was supposed to be an
historic senior season for highly touted running back
Xavior Bowden at 6-6.
But something clicked before the Cougars’ playoff
opener — a road game at 1-seed South Granville — that
resulted in a massive upset and one of the biggest on-
field celebrations GHS fans have witnessed in recent
memory.
And even though they lost to Wallace-Rose Hill in
the second round of the state playoffs, taking down a
powerhouse in Round 1 gave first-year Head Coach
Timothy Ray plenty to build on.
Opponents will have plenty to worry about on both
sides of the ball as the Cougar lineup features three
standout seniors.
Two-way player Jykeis Mclean had a breakout
junior season both on defense — he snagged eight
interceptions — and on offense, where he finished the
2018 campaign with 677 yards on 32 receptions, six
receiving TDs, and another score on the ground.
Defensive juggernaut Darius Rodgers logged 69
tackles, 13 sacks, and recovered two fumbles. GOLDSBORO:
And the least hyped of the three, J.B. Rhodes, rushed
for more than 600 yards on 84 carries — scoring eight
2018 Record: 7-7
TDs — despite playing behind the workhorse Bowden Head Coach: Timothy Ray
on the depth chart.
Ray believes the leadership of those three, combined Mascot: Cougars
with the speed and arm of junior starting quarterback
Jamin Jacobs, sets up the Cougars for an even more
successful season than they enjoyed last fall. August 23 — @ New Bern
"With the experience of several seniors who have
been starters since they were sophomores, they are August 30 — @ Eastern Wayne
all leaders and bring a lot to the program," Ray said.
"They all have next-level potential and with a star junior
September 6 — Southern Wayne
quarterback who brings a special feel to the offense, the September 13 — Charles B. Aycock
sky is the limit for this team."
So he will continue to preach the concepts that have September 20 — @ Westover
become part of the new normal at GHS: pride, effort,
treating one another like family.
September 27 — Beddingfield
And he'll challenge his team to forget about the past October 11 — Wallace-Rose Hill
and focus on taking football — and, more importantly,
life — one day at a time. October 18 — @ Clinton
"This season, we are looking to simply win in all
phases. We preach 'win the day' all the time and that
October 25 — James Kenan
means more than just football. It means as a student- November 1 — @ Midway
athlete and young man who serves our community,"
Ray said. "But on the field, we're loaded with speed and November 8 — @ East Duplin
the guys have worked really hard this offseason, built a
great bond and are in a great position to succeed."

E&D Fall 2019 Page 17

 Rosewood

Eagles want it all

By KENNETH FINE
A team that was within shouting distance
of playing for the state title brings back
its hard-hitting defense — and a hunger

J
to hoist a trophy this season.

ust three yards. Three yards

from playing for the chance
to bring a state championship
home to Rosewood.
 But on a December evening last year, with only four
points between them and a title shot, the Eagles came
up short.
So after the game, Rosewood Head Coach Robert
Britt was charged with delivering two different messag-
es to the young men feeling the sting of defeat in the
locker room.
“First, you’ve got your seniors who have just played
their last football game and didn’t want it to end,” he
said. “It was a hug and telling them I love them and that
even though they’re hurting right now, they’re going to
look back on this experience and it’ll be something they
talk about ... for the rest of their lives.”
But for the underclassmen, it was an opportunity
to allow the bad taste in their mouths to linger — to
push them to become “bigger, faster, stronger” during
the offseason to ensure they gave themselves another
opportunity to become legends in 2019.
“It was a starting block for our offseason,” Britt said.
“Something to have in their minds as they’re working
out, so they’d put in that extra rep — so that this year,
maybe we go one game further.”
In some ways, senior Jack White still lives with the ROSEWOOD:
“what-if.”
“It was definitely disappointing,” he said.
2018 Record: 9-3
But the young man has perspective, and knowing Head Coach: Robert Britt
that he had one more season to push his teammates as
far as they can go has motivated him this summer. Mascot: Eagles
“We had a great year, but this is a new opportunity,”
he said. “We’re looking forward to getting back after it.”
Championship or no championship, Britt has come August 23 — @ Charles B. Aycock
to accept that there are more important things at stake
in between those lines than a trophy. August 29 — North Johnston
Every day he spends with White and his teammates
is another chance to make an impact he knows will
September 6 — Spring Creek
strech far beyond any football career those young men September 13 — @ Pender
might pursue.
“As I grow in my own career, of course, everyone’s September 20 — Jones Senior
number one goal is to win football games, but, you
know, as you get older as a coach, you want your players
September 27 — Wake Christian
to become good citizens,” he said. “You want them to October 11 — Hobbton
become good husbands, good parents, and Jack, and
there’s so many more on our team like him, are willing October 18 — @ Lakewood
to believe in what the coaches are saying. They under-
stand that building character, developing a work ethic
October 25 — Union
and being a good teammate is, number one, going to November 1 — @ North Duplin
make them a better football player. But number two,
they’re going to become a better person.” November 8 — @ Princeton
And that, he says, is a victory one can’t measure in
wins and losses.

E&D Fall 2019 Page 19

 Southern Wayne

The Saints are rising

By KENNETH FINE
On the field, 2018 was a forgettable season for
Southern Wayne, but the team’s head coach is confident
that his program is headed in the right direction.

R
onnie McClary would
tell you that despite his
team’s 1-10 record last
season, there is plenty to celebrate at
Southern Wayne High School.
 His players are performing in the classroom.
Upperclassmen are mentoring the young men who
have just come up from junior varsity.
And for him, that culture change means more than
any victory.
“When I took over, we were heading in the right
direction, but one of the things the coaching staff
and I are trying to work on is changing the culture,”
McClary said. “The past couple of years, I wasn’t really
concerned about wins because I know they come, but
now, our culture, it’s turning, so it’s time for those wins
to come.”
In his experience, better human beings make for
better teammates and players.
So when, this summer, he had a much larger turnout
for workouts than he has in the past, he wasn’t all that
shocked.
“The tide is turning,” he said.
And when those who participated were reminded
of their 1-10 2018 season, it motivated them to make the
most out of their time on the practice field.
“Every spot is open. Every position is open. That’s
one of the luxuries of going 1-10. Nobody has a guar- SOUTHERN WAYNE:
enteed spot. So now, they’re fighting for positions,” he
said. “And you see that effort — the fact that they were
2018 Record: 1-10
showing up on a consistent basis when they had AAU Head Coach: Ronnie McClary
basketball, jobs, family vacations, church mission trips.
They wanted to be here." Mascot: Saints
McClary hopes that the work they put in this offsea-
son will result in close losses from past seasons turning
into wins. August 23 — @ Beddingfield
And he seems fairly certain that because “after you
have a 1-10 season, things can’t get any worse,” his team’s August 30 — @ James Kenan
record will improve this fall.
But this particular coach believes that the first step
September 6 — @ Goldsboro
in creating a winning program is about more than September 13 — North Lenoir
touchdowns.
“Of course, you want the wins,” McClary said. “But September 20 — Kinston
when we look and see that we have kids with close to
4.0 (grade point) averages, when we’ve got guys signing
September 27 — D.H. Conley
football and track scholarships, when we’ve got guys October 4 — @ Charles B. Aycock
mentoring younger players, when we see that, we’ve
got the kind of program their parents and this commu- October 11 — Eastern Wayne
nity can be proud of.” October 18 — @ South Central
Quarterback Paulensky Francis wants to be one of
those guys. November 1 — @ New Bern
“Last year, we had a lot of players who weren’t good
teammates and they brought us down,” he said. “What November 8 — @ J.H. Rose
we lacked was heart. So, this year, if we keep fighting, I
think we’re gonna be tough to beat.”
E&D Fall 2019 Page 21
 Center Street’s
Jammed By KENNETH FINE
When city officials drafted and adopted the Downtown Goldsboro Master Plan
more than a decade ago, few people actually believed that the DGDC could pull it off.
Even Mayor Chuck Allen thought it was a pie-in-the-sky proposal.
But thanks to Julie Metz, millions in grant funding, the resurrection of the Paramount Theatre,

I
and dozens of leaps of faith by private investors, the city’s core is thriving. And it’s just the beginning.

t's a muggy summer afternoon

and the sun is bearing down
on Center Street, but a group
of teenage girls isn't deterred.
 They’re in the market for some new
T-shirts and plan on hitting Bicycle World,
but first, they need a cool down. So, they walk
into Labrar Coffee, Goldsboro's newest
sensation, and load up on frappuccinos.
“Oh my God. This is better than Star-
bucks,” one of them says, before pulling out
her cellphone and snapping a selfie. “New
favorite coffee shop.”
Rewind 10 years and you’d never expect to
see this scene unfold in the city’s core.
There were hardly any shops to draw
young people downtown, save for a few
restaurants that catered mostly to city and
courthouse employees.
Bicycle World was still located across the
street from Stoney Creek Park. The Artistic
Dance Academy, the Arts Council — other
organizations that have injected youth into
downtown — were housed on Ash Street, too.
City officials, mainly Julie Metz and her
team at the Downtown Goldsboro Develop-
ment Corporation, were still preaching about and friends from college — saying, ‘Oh that’s One could argue that 2005 was the water-
the pending progress promised in the 2006 cool. It sounds great,’” Metz said. “But any- shed year for downtown Goldsboro.
downtown master plan to private investors body that I knew in Goldsboro, they were In February of that year, the Paramount
and the public. like, ‘Are you crazy? Downtown? There’s Theatre, one of that last remaining reminders
To most, the summer 2019 reality along nothing there. You’re never going to be able of a bygone era, burned to the ground.
Center Street seemed like a pipedream. to make it anything again. It will never be Some saw it as a sign to abandon hope of
Metz was a believer. It’s why she took the what it once was.’” a revitalized core. But members of the City
job as the DGDCs executive director in the Others were more candid. Council, after extensive lobbying by Metz
first place. “One person told me we should just drop a and her team, did the opposite.
“I was considering applying and I was bomb on downtown and walk away,” she said. That same year, several months after peo-
sharing that with people close to me. It was “To me, that sounded like a challenge. So, for ple stood and watched the Paramount burn
getting mixed opinions, with people who are one thing, I’m always up for a challenge. And — openly weeping and sharing childhood
close to me who live outside the city — family two, there was nowhere to go but up.” memories that unfolded inside the theater —
the council agreed to invest $90,000 into the
drafting of a downtown master plan, a “road-
map” that would identify priority projects
stakeholders believed could give the area a
jolt.
Some wanted multi-million-dollar build-
ings first.
Others wanted financial incentives that
might draw new businesses downtown.
But Metz argued that those things would
come only when the public had a new per-
ception of a space that had come to be char-
acterized as crime-ridden and dangerous
after business hours.
SEE JAM, Page 25
E&D Fall 2019 Page 23
 seemed unsafe or uncomfortable to be the all costs back in 2005 became “art alley”

JAM
Continued from 23
“And so, streetscape became the No. 1
public investment,” she said. “What the
streetscape did is address scale — human
scale. People don’t think that was a big deal,
but for us, to try to create a space that attracts
people and makes people feel comfortable
and safe, scale is a big thing.”
From lighting and tree choices, to expand-
ed sidewalks, they gave space “back to the
pedestrian.” And by 2008, when the Para-
mount, thanks to a public/private partner-
ship, reopened, the infrastructure was well
on its way to accommodating the crowds it
would draw, and the momentum the theater’s
rebirth would create.
“The Paramount was vital at the time
because it was the first and only entity that
attracted people to downtown after 5 p.m.
when all the shops, the few that were there,
were closed,” Metz said. “It’s human nature.
People want to be where other people are. It
only person on Center Street at dark. But
when you see other people walking around
downtown after dark, all of a sudden, it’s a
much safer place to be."
But seeing the bright lights from the
Paramount cut through the darkness did not
just make people feel safer.
“It also created demand, because now,
there are people downtown after hours.
There are parents dropping off their kids for
practices and they have to kick around for
two hours and need a place to go eat,” Metz
said. “That’s when we started to attract some
restaurants in the evening."
Within five years, the Arts Council of
Wayne County would move downtown,
to the corner of Walnut and John streets,
amplifying the need for “more to do” at night
and on the weekend.
And the non-profit also provided the
DGDC with “a really good partner in ventur-
ing out into that public art realm.”
Vibrant murals began popping up on brick
walls. Crosswalks became pieces of art.
Alleys that most would have avoided at
destinations for amateur photographers
and professionals, alike, who found them
to be the perfect backdrop for prom,
wedding, and engagement photos.
Fast-forward another five years and,
much like the Paramount fire, another
disaster sparked growth downtown
when Hurricane Florence damaged
Bicycle World and the Artistic Dance
Academy.
Both would opt to relocate to Center
Street. Both have driven significant traffic
to the city’s core.
•
It’s a muggy summer afternoon and the
sun is bearing down on Center Street, but
Mayor Chuck Allen is not deterred.
He is the only politician left stand-
ing from the council that approved that
$90,000 for the downtown master plan —
the only one left in office to accept praise
from local investors and leaders across the
state.
“We had a vision. We had a plan. And we
stayed focused,” Allen said. “There were a
SEE JAM, Page 32

Fighting for District 3, and ALL of Goldsboro

Honorable representative Hearing your concerns

Opportunities provided Expectations, lived up to
Progressive partnerships Liason between you/city
Equality of ALL citizens People's champion

E&D Fall 2019 Page 25

STIll part
of the
plan?
Downtown Goldsboro is thriving,
thanks, in part, to the Arts Council of
Wayne County’s presence on the
corner of Walnut and John. So why is the
non-profit in jeopardy of
having to move?
By KENNETH FINE

A
violin nestled
beneath her
chin, a little
girl slowly slides a bow
across the strings.
She isn’t used to
playing in front of a
crowd, particularly one
as large as the stand-
ing-room-only mass
assembled inside the
Arts Council of Wayne
County one Friday
evening this summer.
 But she owns the moment, and by the end
of her performance, those who converged
on the corner of Walnut and John for the
non-profit’s recital night are left yearning for
more.
This isn’t the first time that passersby have
peered through the Arts Council’s windows
to find a packed house on the other side of
the glass. And it won’t be the last.
Young and old, men and women from
seemingly every background have, at one
time or another, found their way downtown
since the organization moved to the city’s
core.
And that is exactly why Downtown
Goldsboro Development Corp. Executive
Director Julie Metz felt the Arts Council’s
presence would be such a significant ingredi-
ent in creating the downtown she envisioned
when the city agreed in 2005 to fund a study
to create a master plan.
“Our board members felt very strongly
that we needed to keep in (the vision state-
ment) that we wanted the Arts Council to
come back downtown,” she said. “Now, at the
time, they had just acquired the property out
on Spence and Ash, so it seemed extremely
unlikely.”
But as luck would have it, they decided A young lady gets a refill of green paint during the Arts Council's summer camp in July.
they wanted to move, and Metz and her team
were in the organization’s corner. Neither of those things is true. “What we need to do is plan to have a
“We were able to competitively apply for For one thing, the organization pays rent. meeting. I haven’t seen their books, but we
grant funding to help make their move easi- A lot of rent. $4,000 a month. And during need to figure out what they need before we
er,” she said. “So, obviously, we think that the the 2017-18 fiscal year, only 16 percent of can think about what we can do,” Allen said.
Arts Council being downtown is a big plus.” its operating budget was covered by local “Our pot hasn’t gotten any bigger either. So
It’s a plus because it “helped create that government coffers. By comparison, Wilson we need to do that.”
interesting vibe that we wanted downtown County officials funded 25 percent of theirs, Dees is willing — and hopeful.
to be known for — a hipsterish, artistic, at a cost of more than $137,000. Perhaps, just knowing that the organiza-
interesting, fun place where you could really “And I think the biggest thing is that peo- tion pays a high rent and is struggling to get
get yourself involved and make things ple think we own our building. Well, we by will compel a donor — or donors — to save
happen aesthetically and socially.” don’t,” Dees said. “And let me tell you, things the day and keep the Arts Council where she
Mayor Chuck Allen agrees. would be a whole lot easier if we didn’t have feels it belongs.
“I think that the Arts Council being to write that rent check every month. And “Fingers crossed,” she said, smiling. “We’ll
downtown really is a hugely important we’re getting to a point where it’s no longer see. I mean, there are a lot of buildings down-
thing for the city.” financially viable for us to stay downtown.” town that could suit our needs. They need
So what’s the problem? Money. Neither Allen nor Metz wants to see the some work — and the owner would have to
Arts Council Director Georgia Dees said Arts Council leave. Both understand that be willing to work with us — but with the
most people believe the organization is fully there is something happening right now right amount of support, I think it could be
funded by the city or county — that it owns downtown — that there is a synergy they
its current home. would rather not see interrupted. SEE ARTS, Page 40
E&D Fall 2019 Page 27
 Caked in love
Award-winning baker Lori Edwards has found that food has the
power to bring back treasured memories — and create new ones.

By KENNETH FINE

A
teenage girl with no
money wanted to put
something sweet on the
table for her brother.
 “We were very poor growing up,” she said.
“We didn’t have a lot of anything.”
But Lori Edwards knew that the basics —
milk, eggs, flour and oil — were tucked away
inside the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets.
“If you’ve got those main staples, you can
pretty much do anything,”
she said. “So, I started doing
my own little recipes.”
Sometimes, she would
find some cocoa powder.
Other days, it was cinnamon.
And she would transform
those simple ingredients
into homemade brownies
and sweet bread.
“I’d just figure it out,”
she said. “You’d throw stuff
together and if it worked, it
worked.”
More often than not, it did.
Her method has always been the same.
She rarely relies on recipes or timers. She
cooks by memory and feel — just like her
foster mother, Janet, did.
Janet had to do it that way. A childhood
illness and an accident that resulted in brain
damage left her unable to follow a recipe.
“In today’s time, she would be an EC stu-
dent, but cooking became her way of coping,”
Lori said. “She was a wonderful mother, a
wonderful housewife. And she could cook
anything. But doing it from a recipe was not
gonna happen.”
So a little girl watched her foster
mother “just throw things together” with no
expectation that, one day, doing the same
would make her an award-winning baker
who has touched countless lives through
the food she has been making from the heart
ever since those days as a teenager.
• have been used for everything from birthday
Nine simple ingredients bring to life a
woman who left this world years ago — and
win Lori first place in the Wayne Regional
Agricultural Fair cake-baking competition
just about every year.
The 10-layer chocolate cake is a recipe
passed down from her ex-husband’s grand-
mother, “Uma.” And every time Lori makes
one for members of her family, the memories
come flooding back.
"They'll say, 'My God. This is Uma’s cake,'"
she said. “When you can give somebody back
a little piece of joy that they thought was gone
forever, it’s special.”
She’s done the same
thing for her co-workers at
Rosewood Middle School,
recreating a beloved retired
substitute teacher’s white
chocolate-covered pecans.
And when an extended
family member lost his
mother, an apple cake
reminded him that she would
always be with him, in the
tastes and smells he will
forever associate with her.
“He took one bite and
said, ‘Oh my God. This is Mama. This is my
mama,'” Lori said. “So, bringing that back to
him, it’s a pleasure. It brings them back some-
thing — a feeling — that they thought they’d
never have again.”
If you talk to her long enough, you’ll find
that these are the moments Lori lives for. She
doesn’t cook and bake for blue ribbons or
cash prizes. She does it to warm her own soul
through the joy her gift brings those around
her.
“There is some satisfaction in when some-
one eats something of yours and they’re like,
‘Oh my God. That’s the best thing I’ve ever
eaten,’ or when they can relive a memory
because of what you’ve made,” she said. “It is
a way to give back to everyone who has given
to me in some way.”
So on Christmas, she gives “coupons” for
free cakes to family members and loved ones
instead of presents — pieces of paper that
cupcakes to massive wedding cakes.
“My family loves it because if they need a
cake, they just turn in one of their coupons,
Lori said. “So I always have (ingredients) be-
cause I never know when someone is going
to ask for a cake. I never know when I’ll get
SEE CAKED, Page 31
E&D Fall 2019 Page 29
 CAKED
Continued from 29
that call like, ‘Hey,’ and they’re cashing in that
certificate.”
And she uses her creations to inspire
students at Rosewood Middle to be the best
they can be.
“There was one young man and he was
struggling. So, I told him, I said, ‘If you make
the honor roll, I’ll bake you anything you “pancake-thin” layers of yellow cake soaked in
want,’” she said. “This is what he asked for. “homemade cooked chocolate,” she knows
Chocolate, chocolate cupcakes. He got his Uma will be there at the table — her passion,
reward.” channeled through Lori, on full display.
At this year’s fair, the judges will get a taste “It’s love,” Lori said. “It’s a taste of her love.
of it, too. And knowing that I get to pass that on, there’s
Lori plans to make those cupcakes as one no better feeling.”
of her entries. But the star will be her legend-
ary 10-layer chocolate cake. Think you have what it takes to keep Lori
“That’s the major winner,” she said. “First from winning another blue ribbon?
place just about every year.” Go to waynefair.com to enter the contest.
And when the judges bite through the

E&D Fall 2019 Page 31

 adding 57 apartment units and

JAM
Continued from 25
12,000 square feet of commercial
space to downtown.
“All those buildings have been
vacant for many, many years,”
Downtown
lot of people fighting for us — a Goldsboro Metz said. “So that’s huge.”
lot of people trying to help us — Development Another potential infill proj-
but the biggest thing was having Corporation ect that is still being kept under
the plan. When there was money Executive wraps would represent anoth-
Director
available, we had a plan and were er $8 million investment, and
Julie Metz.
shovel-ready.” officials are currently shopping
But as he exits City Hall the idea of developing residen-
and makes his way toward the tial units on the city owned 400
Paramount, even he is surprised block of South Center Street.
by what has become of an area “I’m very happy with where we
of Goldsboro that used to scare are,” Metz said. “We just have a
some people off and leave others surround Goldsboro's booming Metz is particularly excited lot more to do.”
lamenting the decay of the place downtown. about this 28,000 square-foot re- Doing more, she said, would
they experienced so much joy in “Our around downtown is placement for Cornerstone Com- unlock the economic potential
as children. not good,” he said. “How do we mons, given the fact that it's been downtown that the average citi-
“In a lot of ways, I can’t believe fix Virginia part of the zen might not fully understand.
it,” he said. “Downtown is even Street? And city's vision But once its realized, it will be
more successful than I thought it how do we fix for nearly a impossible to ignore.
would be.” Carolina decade. “Downtown is comprised of
And what’s even more difficult Street? We’ve "One person “I think the densest number of taxable
to comprehend as he walks past got to figure it it's going to properties of anywhere in the
boutique after boutique, a new
pharmacy, a hip coffee house,
out and it’s a
really hard fix,
told me we be a really
interesting
city. If it’s underperforming, it’s
not doing the best it can for the
barber shops, and restaurants —
all of them successful — is that so
but it needs to
be a priority.”
should just creative
space,”
city,” Metz said. “So, what I think
some people don’t think about
much more could still be done.
“Not only are businesses
Metz agrees.
But whether
drop a bomb on Metz said.
And she
when they think about the in-
vestment in downtown, a dollar
coming back, but the private de-
velopment is coming in behind
or not that
happens in the downtown and believes that
once the
spent wisely downtown in terms
of public investment will have a
the public development which
was always what was supposed
near future,
more invest- walk away. state budget
passes —
much bigger ripple effect than
anywhere else. And the increase
to happen, so the next five years ment is on the as of press in tax value downtown will help
will even be better than the last horizon. To me, that time, N.C. pay the increase in costs for the
five years,” he said. “And the Officials Gov. Roy services our citizens enjoy right
best part is that downtown is for
everybody. I see people from
recently broke
ground on
sounded like Cooper and
state legis-
now and are going to expect to
enjoy 10 years from now but are
all walks of life downtown all
the time taking pictures, in the
“The Hub” —
a venue for
a challenge." lators were
still at an
going to cost more.
“Downtown doesn’t live it in
restaurants, in the shops. And Center Street impasse — a a vacuum and we don’t do it for
we’re not even finished.” Jam and other long-awaited downtown. We do what we do in
Injecting even more private public events rehab downtown for the community. It
money into the area that will feature, among other development project involving makes living in Goldsboro better.
will be key, but Allen believes things, a covered stage, splash- six historic buildings represent- It makes our economic condition
that there should be a focus pad, public restrooms, public art ing 70,000 square feet of space better for the future in so many
on the neighborhoods that and food truck connections. will be put back into production, different ways.”
 The New Old North:
Because Quality Matters
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unique visitors have experienced our brand of
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Dinner with Friends
It seems like everyone is buzzing
about the Vail House. It certainly
lives up to the hype.

By KENNETH FINE

W
e’re every restaurant’s worst nightmare —
a group of eight that includes just about
every archetype waiters and waitresses
have come to fear.
 We have the picky eater. You can close
your eyes and picture them, right? They la-
bor over the menu for ten minutes and then,
after finding something wrong with every-
thing, they end up opting for a salad. Then
they learn their favorite dressing, something
bizarre like Catalina, isn’t offered and they do
a complete 180 and order the one thing that
no picky eater would ever get.
We have two children younger than 10.
One of them will only order macaroni
and cheese and the other, while more
adventurous, has zero problem telling you
exactly what they think of their meal.
We have two teenage girls.
No commentary needed.
The food snob? Oh yes. We have them, too.
He’s the person writing this — the guy who is
rarely satisfied by anything he doesn’t cook
himself.
And we have the Death Star of all
restaurant galaxies: the indecisive one.
This person is always the last one to order,
yet they insist that by the time everyone else
has made his or her selection, they’ll
be ready.
Spoiler alert: They are never ready by the
time the waiter or waitress gets to them.
With that, we’d like to introduce you
to “Dinner with Friends” — a fresh, fun way
of examining the dining scene in Goldsboro,
Wayne County and the communities that
surround them.
On these pages, you won’t just get an hon-
est review of the food. We’ll give you a sense
of what the experience of eating at these
establishments is really like. Addison Vail shucks oysters for a table of customers.
Looking for a high-brow food review? You
won’t find that here. Not exactly. Somebody in the group always shows Why would eating three oysters warrant a
Want to know whether the hot new place up late. And in our case, the award goes to prize?
is worth the wait — whether the obscure Charles B. Aycock EC teacher Kimberly The answer: hot sauce. Lots of hot sauce.
restaurant you’ve been hearing about but Hughes. Hot sauce made from the diabolical ghost
are afraid to try is a safe bet? We’ve got you But don’t worry. She was punished for her pepper.
covered. crime. We'll get to that momentarily. To put this thing into perspective, here’s
So, fire up those taste buds. It’s time. The first thing that jumps out at you when a fun fact. In 2000, a research lab in India
We decided to start our culinary you scan the Vail House menu is the “Ghost.” reported a ghost pepper Scoville rating — the
journey at a place seemingly everybody has The name, itself, is enticing. scale that measures the spiciness or “heat” of
been talking about since it opened earlier An oyster on a cracker? peppers — of 855,000 SHUs. Four years later,
this summer. That doesn’t sound too bad. it was above a million.
Welcome to the Vail House. If you eat three of them, you get a T-shirt? SEE FRIENDS, Page 36
E&D Fall 2019 Page 35
 Friends
Continued from Page 35
The stages of the "Ghost": Confidence. Pain. Regret.
By comparison, a jalapeno typically
doesn’t top 10,000 SHUs. And just for an
added “bonus,” Vail House puts a fresh,
bright green slice of one of those — seeds
included — on top of every “Ghost” it serves.
Guess who got to take on the “Ghost” chal-
lenge at our table? You guessed it. Kimberly
“late to the party” Hughes.
The Vail House crab dip is packed with meat — and even a few shrimp.
If you ask her, she’ll tell you it was no big
deal — that her cold beverage made the
challenge bearable, even easy. But the, uh,
pictures tell the real story.
Look left. See them? Done laughing?
Ok. Let's continue.
The “Ghost” challenge was the spectacle,
but the food we shared was the true star of
our evening.
Before we had placed our orders, a basket
of hush puppies found its way to our table.
They didn’t last long. The outside was crispy.
The inside was fluffy and almost creamy.
And my 8-year-old son, Holden, loved them
so much that he decided to use his finger to
scoop every crumb out of his plastic butter
tub. (He then ate the remaining butter. Don’t
ask.)
Now, as fulfilling as butter sounds, the rest
of us started our meals with actual food: crab
dip and fried mushrooms.
The crab dip. It was, frankly, magical.
Served with crispy slices of baguette, it was,
unlike sub-par dips many of us talked about
having at other restaurants, packed with
meat. There was even shrimp tucked below
the surface. Mmmmm. Shrimp.
The fried mushrooms were a hit, too. Even
with the children. Children who are notori-
ously picky, like my teenage daughter, Kayla,
who won't even look at such things at home.
Now, anything deep-fried is usually tolerable,
but this particular appetizer was crispy, juicy,
and not greasy. Way better than just OK.
So was what came next.
We decided that for our entrees, we would
all get different items and share — you know,
so we could provide an honest take on the
food.
And other than a strange debate
between Holden and 7-year-old Autumn
(Autumn said the mac and cheese, because of
the consistency, tasted “like potatoes;” Hold-
en thinks she’s crazy and said it was “the best
mac and cheese ever”) we were all more than
satisfied with the various items we selected.
Kayla, picky teenage girl No. 1, got the
burger. Yes. She is the other archetype: the
person who doesn’t order seafood at the
seafood restaurant.
But her selection paid off and even Kim-
berly, who cut a piece off toward the end of
the meal, was stunned that a non-seafood
item could be done so well at a seafood place.
“Wow,” she said, slicing off another chunk.
“That’s a great burger.”
And the fries that came with it were per-
fectly seasoned and crispy. I know because
my daughter threatened to stick me in the
hand with a fork if I didn’t stop eating them.
Ungrateful child.
The meal Kimberly actually ordered, the
 lobster roll, was phenomenal. I know Autumn and Holden shared — sparked a And you could tell that every detail —
because my wife, “who can eat more” down to drinks served in mason jars — was
Callie, another contest that became meticulously thought out by owners Tom
CBA EC teacher, more of a race to and Tammy Vail.
got the same thing devour as much as It was more than a meal. It was an
and I took a small possible and left both experience — a chance to make memories.
— cough, cough, high on sugar for the Between the mac and cheese potato de-
massive — bite rest of the evening. bate, the cake eating contest, and the “Ghost”
and noticed right So, where does that challenge, Vail House made us feel like we
off the bat that leave us? were sitting around our own table.
the meat to bread The Vail House And thanks to the “Ghost,” Kimberly now
ratio was amazing provided our crew has a new T-shirt to wear to remind her to be
and that it was not with everything we on time if she’s lucky enough to be on the
over-dressed. I also seek when we hit list when we do this all over again for our
noticed the dirty the town. The food winter edition.
look Callie shot my was spectacular, and
Want to join our group for a night on the town or
way for limiting the everyone found some-
think your restaurant should be our next stop?
amount of delicious thing they enjoyed.
rimp. Send us an email at newoldnorth@gmail.com
lobster she got to The staff was
enjoy. friendly and seemed
But in my to get along with
opinion, and the one another — a
opinions of most refreshing family
at the table, Angela atmosphere you don’t
Michalek, a sales often see in work envi-
manager with ronments anymore.
Unifirst and the ABOVE: The Vail House shrimp and grits. The space, itself, was
BELOW: Staff members share a few laughs
advertising director dimly lit and relatively
before the beginning of dinner service.
for both this product quiet, providing the
and our sister website, NewOldNorth.com, perfect setting for fellowship and more than
picked the winning dish. a few laughs.
The shrimp and grits are hard to charac-
terize because anything you say about them
won’t do them justice.
They are savory and creamy and salty and
bacony — yes, bacony is now a word. This
dish hit all the right spots and everyone at
the table, except for my bacon-hating wife,
loved them.
Don’t think too much on the fact that my
wife hates bacon. I get it. It doesn’t make
sense. I’ve married someone who doesn’t like
bacon and I have to live with that. Moving on.
I know. Dessert will take your mind off my
insane wife and her horrible smear campaign
against crispy pork.
I’ll keep it simple. The cheesecake is
delicious, and we would all recommend the
fruit drizzle. And the birthday cake — the
MASSIVE piece of birthday cake that

E&D Fall 2019 Page 37

 Brew
crew
Everybody feels like a regular inside
Brewmasters — arguably the hottest
food and beer destination in
Wayne County — where the brew is
hyper-local and everything from the
pizza to the sandwiches is handcrafted.

By ANDREW LASSITER

O
n Monday nights,
they’re filling out
Bingo cards —
humming and singing along
to songs from whichever
pop playlist happens to be
featured in the game that
week.
On Tuesdays, their phones
are tucked away during trivia
to ensure they don’t get
disqualified and miss out
on a chance to play
for a free meal.
 You can find them sitting around the bar
during their respective lunch hours — talking
about “Stranger Things,” “Game of Thrones,” or
whatever show happens to be dominating the
latest watercooler discussions.
And in the evenings, if the weather is nice,
they spill out onto the patio and parking is hard
to come by.
Brewmasters is no longer the new kid in
town, but that doesn’t stop locals from treating
it like it’s the hot new restaurant in Goldsboro.
Maybe it’s the vibe — the fact that everyone is
treated like a regular when they step inside.
Or it could be the food — from sandwiches
that feature Boar’s Head deli meat and arguably
the best onion rings in Wayne County to the
fried pickle chips and craft pizzas that fly out of
the kitchen.
But the likely answer lies in the business’
name. It’s the brew, from the local crafts on tap
to six-packs available in the aisles, that sets this
place apart.
It makes sense that Goldsboro would have a
budding beer scene.
ER In 2007, there were just under 1,500 craft
breweries in the United States. As of 2018, that
Matthew Guevremont shows off a “Funky Fresh” pizza.
number had exploded to more than 7,000.
s, And while beer staples like the ever-popular the choices, showing the beer, style, origin and Kiln, Mississippi, or a few individual beers from
ut Bud Light and Michelob Ultra are still domi-
nating the beer aisle at the grocery store, more
alcohol by volume, or ABV and 2) the fact that
you can sample the beers before making a final
a variety of sources, any beer lover can find an
old favorite or a new one.
— and more room is being carved out for craft decision. (The Sweet Potato Stout happened to be on
breweries. A variety of styles, from India Pale Ales and draft also, and at 4.7% ABV is very drinkable
ng Restaurants are catching on. Imperial Stouts to Ciders and special batch — even for those who prefer light beers — and
r Enter Brewmasters, located at 2402 Ash St.
The guys in charge have clearly gotten the
beers, are available and are constantly being
replaced with the hot new brew. Ever tried Beets
features slightly sweet notes of caramel and
chocolate.)
e memo that North Carolina is one of the top & Berries Blonde, a Blonde Ale from right down And if you’re new to beer, don’t fret. The
states for craft breweries. According to C+R the road at Smithfield’s Double Barley Brewery? bartenders are both knowledgeable and friend-
t Research, the Old North State ranks 16 in the Thanks to Brewmasters, I have. It was a light, ly, kindly answering any questions while doing
country for breweries per capita with 3.4 per refreshing drink with an earthy taste at the their best to marry the customer with the per-
100,000 residents. beginning that gave way to a strawberry finish. fect beer for their taste.
nes And while Goldsboro might not have a signa- And the beets, while subtle on the nose and So, sing a few songs with a few dozen new
ture brewery of its own, Brewmasters gives you the pallet, gave it a wonderful reddish hue that friends on a Monday. Compete against them
via a great sampling of what North Carolina has to made the Blonde Ale unique in both sight and during Tuesday trivia nights.
offer. taste. Or simply walk in on a weekday and grab a
Walking in, a few things immediately That is the type of experience this place spot at the bar — ready to weigh in on whatever
ut command your attentio, but the first, and most provides. But beyond the taps, your eyes can’t conversation is unfolding between the bartend-
important, is the bar, featuring twenty-two help but wander to the rows of beers and wines ers and their regulars.
rotating taps for craft beer and two wine taps. Brewmasters has for sale. Whether you want And don’t be afraid to order the spicy ranch
Making a choice is made easy by 1) a giant to get a six pack of the Sweet Potato Stout, a with your pickle chips. Brewmasters doesn’t lack
screen behind the taps that displays all of Milk Stout from Lazy Magnolia Brewery in options to cool you down.

E&D Fall 2019 Page 39

 ARTS
Continued from Page 27
a win for all of us — for the whole city. I really
do.”
Just when Allen will sit down with Dees
remains to be determined. But the mere
possibility of that conversation was a
comfort to Dees as she fought to meet
payroll during the summer months.
But as outsiders looking in — scrolling
through social media posts that show so
many Wayne County residents participat-
ing in everything from a live model drawing
event and exhibit openings to open mic
nights and jazz performances — you might
never know her struggle exists.
On any given day, the organization ap-
pears to be thriving with hundreds converg-
ing on the intersection of Walnut and John
each month.
And that, Dees says, is the problem. Between the monthly First Amendment Open Mic Night it hosts, above, and the recital it puts on to show-
“People come down and have a good time case what students have learned during classes they take at the Arts Council, below, the organization's
and they aren’t really thinking about what it current home draws a crowd.
takes to make it happen,” she said. “So, hope-
fully, now that it’s going to be out there, we’ll
receive some more support. Our programs
are diverse. They really are for everyone
and all sorts of people have visited the Arts
Council this year. So, I’m hoping more peo-
ple take ownership of it.”

To donate to the Arts Council, sign up to

volunteer or check out its schedule, use your
phone to scan the following QR code:
 Oh, The Places You’ll Want to Go!
ow- October 26, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Really Chili Cookoff
n's
Some like it traditional. Others want to visit the booth that
brings the heat. Both crowds are sure to be satisfied, as local teams
vie for the title of best chili at the annual fundraiser for the
Community Soup Kitchen in the John Street parking lot.
October 25, 4 to 8 p.m.— Thriller Night
A fall festival that will feature a trunk-or-treat event
for the kids and a Thriller performace. That’s right. Thriller.
Adults should stick around for the Creepy Crawl
bar-hopping event that follows.
E&D Fall 2019 Page 41
September 21, & October 19, 6 p.m. — Open Mic Night
Poets, singers and musicians are among those who perform
during the Arts Council of Wayne County’s monthly Open Mic Night.
Got a passion for performing? This is your opportunity to shine.
IMPORTANT VOTING DATES :
Primary Election, Goldsboro City Council Districts 1 & 5:
September 6 — Absentee by mail voting begins
September 13 — Voter registration deadline, 5 p.m.
September 17 — Absentee board meeting, 5 p.m.
September 18 — One Stop early voting begins
September 24 — Absentee board meeting, 5 p.m.
October 1 — Absentee board meeting, 5 p.m.
October 1 — Absentee by mail request deadline, 5 p.m.
October 8 — Primary Election Day, 6:30 A.m. to 7:30 P.m.
October 8 — Civilian absentee ballot return deadline, 5 p.m.
October 14 — County canvass, 11 a.m.
November 5 Municipal & Sanitary District Election
October 11 — Voter registration deadline, 5 p.m.
October 15 — Absentee board meeting, 5 p.m.
October 16 — One Stop early voting begins
October 22 — Absentee board meeting, 5 p.m.
October 29 — Absentee board meeting, 5 p.m.
October 29 — Absentee by mail request deadline, 5 p.m.
November 1 — One stop early voting ends
November 4 — Absentee board meeting, 5 p.m.
November 4 — UOCAVA registration/absentee request deadline, 5 p.m.
November 5 — Election Day, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
November 5 — Civilian absentee ballot return deadline, 5 p.m.
November 5 — UOCAVA absentee ballot return deadline, 5 p.m.
November 14 — Pre-canvass board meeting, 5 p.m.
November 15 — County canvass, 11 a.m.
 Oh, The Places You’ll Want to Go!

November 11, 11 a.m. — Veterans Day Parade

November 9-10, U.S. Quiddich Mid-Atlantic Marching bands will play, Seymour Johnson airmen will walk in formation, and
Regional Championships pageant queens will wave from atop convertibles and firetrucks. But the annual
Veterans Day Parade is about more than the attractions that show up year after
year. It’s a chance to honor those who have sacrificed for freedom — and the men
Harry Potter fans will flock to the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex
and women who currently wear their nation’s uniform.
for a weekend of quiddich, complete with broomsticks, quaffles,
bludgers and snitches. Seekers score by kicking or throwing
quaffles through hoops. Beaters attempt to disrupt the offense.
And the golden snitch is a person released onto the field wearing a
yellow uniform with tails in the 18th minute of the game. If he or she
is caught, the game is over.

November 26 8 p.m. — N.C. Symphony Holiday Pops

Following Downtown Lights Up!, consider taking in this festive
holiday show at the Paramount Theatre.
November 26, 5 to 8 p.m. — Downtown Lights Up!
Santa Claus is coming to Goldsboro, real snow will fall from the skies, children
will sip on hot chocolate, and free horse-drawn trolley rides will be offered.
And, of course, with the flip of a switch, the city’s downtown lights will come
on, as residents usher in the holiday season as one.
 MORE than just Real Estate
We think we are GREAT at REAL ESTATE and work hard to maintain that reputation in Wayne County
and the communities that surround it by following our founding principles: professionalism, integrity and
determination. Want your real estate story to become a part of that tradition? Contact one of our agents or
visit our webiste by using your cell phone to scan the QR Code at the bottom of this ad.

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