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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16 MARCH 23-29, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM True love can be hard to find. Some people are hope- less romantics who want the fairytale while others end up living a nightmare. But the key is to not let a bad relationship stop you from giving someone else a chance because there is someone who will eventually realize that you are a pot of gold. The Gilbert Theater presents Women of Manhattan from April 1-17. The play is a comedy by John Patrick Shanley. Jeremy Fiebig is the director of the play. "We are kind of doing it as a Sex in the City tale," said Robyne Parrish, artistic director of the Gilbert Theater. "It is all about women and there are a couple of guys in the show, but it is mainly about women and their rela- tionships with men and the struggles they go through living in the big city of Manhattan." Parrish added that they are three girlfriends who have been friends since college and work together through the trials and tribulations of life with each other and the men they are in relationships with. Billie is the only married woman in the play. She is in a marriage that is going south. There are two single women, Rhonda Louise and Judy, in the play. Rhonda Louise has trouble letting go of her former relationship. She is having trouble getting out and back into the dat- ing world. Judy has her own set of problems. She cannot seem to meet the right kind of man. The characters are played by Nicki Hart, Loston Riser and Vera Varlamov. Jamale Johnson is playing the character Duke and Grant Harris will play Billie's husband. "Every female on the planet will identify with the struggles of these women," said Parrish. "They are a good group of women in different places in their lives and have had several relationships dealing with differ- ent issues." Parrish added that a lot of the festivities are around drinking so the women go out on the town and meet at the House of Margaritas. "We encourage everyone to come and see this play," said Parrish. "It is funny and it is an opportunity for people to see themselves in these women." For more information or to purchase tickets call 678-7186. Women of Manhattan Opens at the Gilbert Theater by DR. SHANESSA FENNER Litter is a problem that plagues many cities around the world, and Fayetteville is included. Every piece of trash tossed onto the ground has a huge impact on the city. First, and most obvious, it is ugly and devalues all of the amazing opportunities that Fayetteville has to offer. Second, it has a huge effect on the environment. Cigarette butts leak harmful chemicals into the water and soil. Large amounts of litter attract harmful vermin and bugs. Plastics are often eaten by lo- cal animals, which can eventually kill them. Litter is ugly and dangerous but cleaning it up is often a very expen- sive endeavor. The U.S. spends billions on it annually. On April 2, Fayetteville Beautiful hosts its annual citywide cleanup. It is a chance for the public to come out and make a difference in the local landscape. "This is an opportunity for all the citizens of the city to participate in, as George Breece would say, 'cleaning up their bedroom.' We are giving the opportunity to citizens to feel good and to clean up their neighborhood, park or thoroughfare — or an area that they feel is blighted or ugly," said Bobby Hurst, Fayetteville Beautiful spokes- man. "Families, neighbors, organizations, youth groups are all encouraged to participate. The more people that help, the cleaner the city will be for ourselves and visitors who have first and lasting impressions of the city." Fayetteville Beautiful is a group of volunteers that has decided enough is enough. The organization has three core issues. Litter prevention, which goes along with the citywide clean up. Beautification, which goes along with planting. Third, is waste reduction. "The people and animals of the area deserve a beautiful and clean city to live and thrive," said Hurst. On the day of the citywide cleanup, volunteers meet up and spend a day picking up all of the litter from various locations around the city. Fayetteville is a large city with a lot of areas that could benefit from a cleanup. Groups and individuals can pick a par- ticular area of interest by "adopting" the street or park. This can be done by register- ing at http://fcpr.us/fayetteville_beautiful.aspx. The more people that participate, the more Fayetteville will benefit. Participants should meet from 8 until 9:30 a.m. at the entrance to Cross Creek Park on Green Street. This is the distribution site where orange bags, gloves and bottled wa- ter are given out. Volunteers fill the orange bags with the collected litter and leave the full tied bags along the way. Organizers with Fayetteville Beautiful will then collect the full bags for disposal. It is for this reason that it is vital for volunteers to register and adopt their intended clean up sites. This also helps to prevent too many volunteers working on one area. "Seeing more people get involved and care about their city is the most exciting thing for me," said Hurst. "Eighty- five percent of littering is individual attitudes and the key is to change individual's behavior. This is the result from a 2009 survey done by Keep America Beautiful. Our goals for the future are for more people to get involved to be a cleaner city." In the past, these citywide cleanups have been an in- credible success. Last year's boasted 707 volunteers who picked up 14,531 pounds of litter. Over the past 11 years Fayetteville Beautiful has had 10,934 volunteers pick up over 132 tons of liter along 216 miles or roadside. These numbers show what a huge difference volunteering a few hours on a weekend can do. Besides volunteering with Fayetteville Beautiful there are other ways to reduce the litter around town. Recycle and use reusable containers whenever possible. Make sure trash containers have tightly fitted lids so that weather or animals don't blow trash away. Adopt a street or area and dedicate time to keeping it clean. Report litter violations and discourage friends and family from littering. Make sure appropriate trash and recycling receptacles are available and emptied often. Fayetteville Beautiful also accepts donations and has volunteer opportunities beyond the annual citywide cleanup. For more information visit www.fayettevillebeautiful.com. Fayetteville Beautiful Hosts Citywide Cleanup by ERINN CRIDER DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Principal, WT Brown Elementary School, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200 ERINN CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910.484.6200. The next Fayetteville Beautiful citywide cleanup is scheduled for April 2.