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Crispy fried chicken, fried pork chops and
hamburger steak also get an extra thumbs-up.
Arrive by 11 a.m. on Saturday for the chicken
and pastry, made the good old-fashioned
Southern way. All meals are best enjoyed on
the outdoor patio with a view of folks in the
garden center, some pulling plant-filled red
wagons. Or get your orders to-go and make
both you and your family happy.
Bonus: Cakes. Choose from maybe a
dozen varieties, including red velvet and
coconut pineapple. Sliced, half-cakes
or whole. We went for a half carrot cake
($15.99) that got devoured in less than two
days by three people. e scratch-made
pound cakes also are best-sellers.
Build it and they will come
When we visited Pate's Farm Market in
late September and early October, Mike
Pate hadn't been in lately, his wife said.
at's because he was overseeing their two
Pate farms — one in the North Carolina
mountains and the other in Virginia —
where he grows pumpkins and gourds and
also Fraser fir Christmas trees. e goods
are not only for the Fayetteville business but
but also for other garden centers.
"is is my second passion," he says in a
phone interview. "I guess you could say this
is my last rodeo."
People who know Mike Pate, who's 59,
wouldn't bet on it. ey'll tell you the guy
always has something up his sleeve for
creating ways to better serve his customers.
And the determination of a bull.
His will was tested on April 16, 2011,
when a record 30 tornadoes touched down
in the state — including one that destroyed
his farmers market on Reilly Road.
Barbara Kunik, who has worked with Pate
as a cashier for roughly half her life — she's
76 now — remembers the day well.
Mike Pate had a dream
of combining his two
businesses into one
giant location called
Pate's Farm Market.
Not a natural disaster,
a coma or a pandemic
would stop him.
910-850-6363
dtfnutcracker@gmail.com
dancetheatreoffayetteville.org
Methodist University's Huff Concert Hall
(formerly Reeves Auditorium)
Friday, December 2 at 7:30; Saturday, December 3 at 7:30;
and Sunday, December 3 at 3pm
DANCE THEATRE OF FAYETTEVILLE PRESENTS
The Nutcracker
Tickets on sale now through Dec 1 at 6pm, scan the QR code below
