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.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/33504
Fayetteville After 5 Welcomes Cafe Mars a STAFF REPORT With summer just days away, temperatures on the rise and the sun high in the sky, the weekend might seem a long way away. But on the third Thursday of every month during the summer, the weekend starts early with Fayetteville After 5! This month, Fayetteville After 5 welcomes Cafe Mars to the stage. Cafe Mars, a Raleigh/Durham based band consists of an all-star line-up of musicians. The band delivers a unique fusion of Jazz, R&B and Top 40 hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and today, including everything from contemporary jazz to funk to the smoothest R&B, all fi ltered through an unusually high-level of experience and musicianship. Musically-speaking, this is not a wedding band ... not even close. Cafe Mars’, “versatility” is delivered at an uncompromising level of musicianship and performance. The band is led by vocalist Charlotte Gregory, who has performed alongside Trisha Yearwood, Ricochet, Ken Mellons, Rhett Akins, Rockin’ Country and has worked with songwriters such as Charlie Monk, and even did a short stint as an Opryland cast performer. In addition to many other pageant titles, she was Majestic Ms. North Carolina in 2000. She shares lead vocal duties in Bull City Syndicate with Frederick Owens who has been performing on the Broadway stage, in TV and major motion pictures and doing commercial voice-overs, for almost 30 years. Owens was an original cast member of the Grammy Award winning show, Smokey Joe’s Café. Also among his many credits are appearances in Dreamgirls, Man of La Mancha, Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar. He was last seen in the hit comedy Hitch starring Will Smith. He has performed with Isaac Hayes, Gwen Guthrie, Gladys Knight, Pam Tillis, and Ben E. King. Steve Baker, on the horn, has performed with and managed several Grammy-winning and nominated acts over the last 25 years, including B.J. Thomas, Kool & The Gang, Andre Crouch, PFR, Jars of Clay, John Custer, Eddie Money and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Ken Demery, on the guitar, has performed and recorded with a variety of artists, including Melba Moore, Destiny’s Child, Coolio, Blood, Sweat and Tears and Groove Theory (Amel Larrieux). Duane Townes, bass guitar, has played in a number of R&B groups and has enjoyed playing with several gospel groups and churches. Robert Makar, on the drums, was lucky to be taught by some of the fi nest educators of the northeast including Thom Hannum and Joe Morello. Since moving to North Carolina, he has played with such notable acts such as Wilder Brother, Bobby Bear, Crowd, Mojo Collins and is also currently the drummer for N.C.’s premier funk/horn band, Bull City Syndicate. His infectious groove will get everyone on the dance fl oor. Th event kicks-off at 5 p.m. in Festival Park. You can look forward to great fun like a corn-hole tournament, 50/50 raffl e, giveaways, prizes and kid activities. There will be great food vendors on hand, so don’t worry about dinner, just head down to the park and spend some quality time with your family and friends celebrating the summer. No outside food or drink is allowed in the park and no pets are allowed. Bring a blanket or a chair and hit the dance fl oor. For more information, visit the website at www.faydogwoodfestival.com/fayetteville-after-5. FTCC’s Horticulture/Management Program Offers Convenient, Flexible Options by JEFFERY WEBB Located in the Horticulture Educational Center off Eastern Boulevard and adjacent to the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, the FTCC Horticulture/ Management program awards an associate degree in applied science that can be completed in fi ve semesters and also offers two programs of study leading to the award of certifi cates: Basic Landscape Maintenance and Horticultural Science. Each certifi cate program can be completed within one year. Demand is high for graduates of the programs who will be trained to work in nurseries and greenhouses, to install and manage landscapes, to maintain turfgrass, to design landscapes and gardens, to produce fruits and vegetables or to work at resorts, golf courses or public gardens. The course of study is broad-based, and students may enter the program in any semester. Students enjoy classes in landscape design, landscape management and landscape irrigation; plant science and soil science; greenhouse and nursery production; interiorscapes; turfgrass management; control of horticultural pests; plant identifi cation and use, and more. Preparation for professional certifi cations, such as Certifi ed Professional Plantsman, Certifi ed Irrigation Contractor and Licensed Commercial Pesticide Applicator, is emphasized. Hands- on instruction is a critical component in all classes. The Horticulture Department enjoys a productive relationship with its neighbor, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, whose gardens, plant collections, natural areas and outdoor spaces serve as a biological laboratory. In collaborative projects with CFBG, horticulture students learn many aspects of landscape management in a public garden setting. Since early 2010, FTCC’s Horticulture program has been actively adopting and promoting sustainability in its classes and landscape. Currently, the Horticulture department is participating in a statewide Curriculum 8 UCW JUNE 8-14, 2011 Improvement Project known as the Code Green CIP. In November 2010, the N.C. Community College System began this two-year look at how sustainability could be incorporated into certain curricula across the state. Among the CIP’s goals are simplifi cation and combination of similar program titles, adoption of core curricula and the incorporation of sustainability as learning objectives into courses. The landscape around the impressive Horticulture Educational Center continues to grow and change as instructors Brad Goodrum and Jeffrey Webb, along with lab technician Charles Brown, develop new gardens and add to the well-labeled plant collection. Students recently completed and experienced building a fence, retaining wall, and brick patio as part of their classroom instruction. In the planning stages for the landscape study are a rain garden, improved composting facilities, and a green roof as well as an interior green wall. The Horticulture Department at Fayetteville Tech takes the lead in student recruitment. In April, the Horticulture Department hosted more than 250 students, along with their teachers, from Cumberland and Robeson counties in high school and middle school Agriculture and FFA programs at an Open House. Students were treated to a guided tour of the Cape Fear Botanical Garden as well as tours of the HEC classrooms, labs and greenhouses. Students also took part in outdoor events including brick patio laying and operating landscape and turf equipment. Learn more about available programs of study in the fi eld of horticulture as well as other programs Fayetteville Tech offers at www. faytechcc.edu. JEFFERY WEBB, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM