Up & Coming Weekly

June 13, 2017

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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JUNE 14-20, 2017 UCW 13 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM e Givens Perform- ing Arts Center presents "Strike at the Wind" Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, at the Givens Performing Arts Center at UNC Pem- broke. Showtime for both days is 7:30 p.m. "is is a legendary performance that has been performed at Pembroke since 1976," said James Bass, exec- utive director of Giv- ens Performing Arts Center. "It was an outdoor amphitheater drama that went away in 1996 and came back in 1999." Bass added that ultimately, Givens has had some ups and downs and the last performance of the play was in 2007. So the performance has been dormant for about 10 years. is year the play will be performed on a stage instead of outdoors. e return of the performance is a joint effort between e Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and e University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Recently the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the Lumbee Tribe of North Caroli- na acquired the rights to the play for three years. "Strike at the Wind" is a story about Henry Berry Lowry, who was consid- ered to be the local Robin Hood that stole from the rich and gave back to the poor. is dates back into the late 1800s toward the end of the Civil War. "e play is kind of a local legend around here, and for years everybody attend- ed to see it," said Bass. "It is one of those things that has been a part of Lumbee Homecoming and every year many people were committed to it and would come to see it over and over again." Bass added that the Givens director of theater, Dr. Jonathan Drahos, will direct the performance. In the Depression and in the 1920s, many farm- ers in Robeson County suffered financial damage. A number of them went to Washington, D.C. to pe- tition for help. "One of the things that came about was the government gave the Lumbee people money to produce a historical pageant," said Bass. "is was a venue for them to share their heritage and the history of the Lumbee Indians." Bass added that there were a lot of people who believed the Lumbee Indians were descendants of Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony. is has been disputed since then. In 1968, a Historical Drama Association was put together in Robeson County to present a drama or historical pageant about the history of the people. In 1976 "Strike at the Wind" debuted. It was highly successful and the first summer 18,000 peo- ple attended the performance. For years, the play was performed every summer. "ere is a lot of excitement about the play, and this is something that has been embraced by the community here," said Bass. "We look forward to a huge turnout for the performance." Ticket cost is $25 in advance and $30 at the door. For more information, call (910) 521-6361. "Strike at the Wind" Opens at Givens by DR. SHANESSA FENNER "Strike at the Wind" is a story about Henry Berry Low- ry, who was considered to be the local Robin Hood. DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Principal, WT Brown Elementary School. COMMENTS? Edi- tor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. e Vision Resource Center is set to host its Sec- ond Annual "Out of Sight" Wing Fling Fundraiser and Cook-off, with 10 times more chicken wings than before. e VRC, as a United Way agency in association with the Department of Social Services, provides practical skills education and advocacy for the blind and visually impaired in Cumberland County. On June 24, the center will fill Festival Park with food trucks, live music and activities from 3-8 p.m. as 10 teams compete for the best chicken wings in town. Each team will receive 1,000 wings to impress the judges and wing-tasting participants. All farm-fresh chicken wings will be brought, as a donation, on a chilled 18-wheeler. "Mountaire Farms stepped up, and they are rocking it out and giving us 10,000 chicken wings for this," said Alicia Cope, Wing Fling co- chair and VRC board member. "ey are a huge sponsor and supporter of us." Admission is $5 with an additional $5 cost to be a wing taster. Due to the limited number of chicken wings, only 1,000 wing-tasting tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. As an added level of blind competition, tasters will have the option to be blindfolded while tasting. "is is going to be fun. If you want to truly taste it blind … you can put on the blindfolds and do that, as well," Cope said. "We'll have those availa- ble. ey're not required." Teams will be competing to win the "Judge's Choice" or "People's Choice" awards. A $500 prize follows both awards. e judges include Judge Tiffany Whitfield; Sheriff Ennis Wright; Joey "Porky" Newcomb, a Cape Beard member; AnneMarie Ziegler, ARRAY Magazine Publisher; and Al Florez, CFO of the Walker-Florez Consulting Group. J.P. Riddle Stadium housed the 2016 Wing Fling. is year, Cope said, there's excitement around the more central location of Festival Park. Alicia Spease attended the cook-off last year with her family, including her 2-year- old son. She said the whole family enjoyed it even though the team they voted for wasn't victorious. She said she plans to attend again this year. "I do plan on going," Spease said. "It's on the day I get back from vacation, and I'll be dragging my family." ere will be many activities for the communi- ty, Cope said. Systel is sponsoring a $40 VIP tent, which will have access to shade, seating, drinks, a private bathroom and catered food. Other activities include a kid zone with inflata- bles; an EyeQ zone where you can learn about the blind and visually impaired community and partic- ipate in a blindfolded obstacle course; a volunteer informational table; and a raffle where you can en- ter to win an Amazon Echo, two CrossFit 910 mem- berships and a signed Carolina Panthers football. Additionally, expect to hear music or spoken word from e Guy Unger Band, at Nation, LeJuane Bowens, DJ "Q" and Autumn Nicholas. e Black Daggers will also put on a parachute show. All profits will be used to support the Vision Resource Center, according to its website. "We're a well-kept secret in Cumberland County, even though we've been in existence for 80 years," Cope said. "But it's a little part of the population that people don't see, and they don't see them because vision loss isolates. And so we're trying to get them back out to be seen and to be part of our community." Terri omas, VRC executive director, said the center's largest costs are for transportation and independent living skills educators. omas said they plan outings outside the VRC walls, but some people care more about in- home support. Independent living skills lessons, often the most expensive type of support, are "a way to reach those who may not be social butterflies," omas said. You can buy tickets at the door to support the VRC or in advance at outofsightwingfling.com. Taste Is Blind: Chicken Wing Cook-off Returns by SARAH KAYLAN STRICKER SARAH STRICKER, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. NEWS

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