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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NOVEMBER 23-29, 2016 UCW 19 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Museum of the Cape Fear Hosts Holiday Jubilee a STAFF REPORT The Poe House is a part of the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex. It is a house built in 1897 and was owned by Josephine Montague Poe, hence the name. Josephine married Edgar Allan Poe, a local business- man with no relation to the famous writer. Now the house serves as a historically accurate representation of the early 20th century. Traditional museums are wonderful, but nothing can provide a glimpse into the past like walking through an incredibly preserved piece of it. In addition to showing a detailed version of everyday life in the early 20th century. the Poe House also explores other important themes of the time. The best way to experience this all is with one of the daily tours, which give an in-depth and comprehensive exploration of themes such as women's roles, African-American history, children's roles and impor- tant changes in technology and society. Tours are held Tuesdays through Fridays at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. On Saturdays, there is a tour every hour on the hour beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. Sundays also feature hourly tours from 1- 4 p.m. From Nov. 22 until Jan. 8, the 1897 Poe House will be decked out in his- torically accurate Victorian decorations. They will include a large tree in the parlor and long hallways adorned with holly sprigs. Admission into a Victorian celebration of the Christmas spirit is free. Looking into the Christmas traditions of the past puts our own modern traditions into a new light. Some may be things that are still shared and some are differ- ent, but exploring the personal connections during such a special season is valuable. It can shed some light not only on the culture of the past but on today as well. The Poe House will also host a Holiday Jubilee on Dec. 4 from 1 - 5 p.m. This is an annual free event that brings the Victorian Christmas celebration to life. One of the most exciting parts of the event is the Coventry Carolers singing traditional music on the front porch that is decked out with tradi- tional Christmas décor. The Coventry Carolers will perform at 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. In addition to lovely singing, there will be demon- strations like cooking on the 1902 stove. The 1897 Poe House is located at 206 Bradford Ave. For more informa- tion visit http://museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov/1897-poe-house. While visiting the Victorian house don't forget the other incredible facilities that the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex has. The Museum of the Cape Fear and Arsenal Park can also provide insight into our colorful local history. The Holiday Jubilee features the Coventry Carolers as well as other activities. By the time you read this, the election will be over. Some will be licking wounds, others celebrating. While the candidates have been appearing in every corner of our state, I have been traveling, too. I spent October on a non-political tour, campaigning to help bookstores sell my new book, North Carolina's Roadside Eateries: A Traveler's Guide to Local Restaurants, Diners, and Barbecue Joints. Thanks to those booksellers and many of you, the book is selling well. It made the Southern Pines Pilot's weekly Sandhills Best-Seller List for most of the past two months, three weeks as No. 1 in the Paperback Non- fiction category. On the road, I have learned a lot more about other people's favorite eating-places. People like to talk about food and the restaurants they visit when they are traveling. One question I got at every stop is this: "Have you got Meadow in your book?" People love this buffet restaurant on I-40 (Exit 334) near its intersection with I-95, not far from Benson. Because there are no signs to show the way, some folks think that Meadow is their personal secret stopping place on the way to the beach. They can regale you with descriptions of Meadow's meats, vegetables in great abundance and its unbelievable assortment of pies and cakes, all for one modest price. I found out new stories about eateries I included in my book. For instance, my North Mecklenburg High School friend Robert Cooke, now called Bob, recently retired as professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Cornell University. He now lives near the small farm just south of Cornelius where he grew up. His respected farm family was not wealthy, to say the least. But when we talked about Troutman's, a popular barbecue restaurant in Concord featured in my book, he smiled and told me his dad took the family to eat there "all the time." Remembering that going out for a meal was a rare treat 60 years ago, I said, "You all were not rich. How were you able to afford to go?" He replied that his daddy cut hickory wood from downed trees on their farm and took truckloads to Troutman's, where he got credit to use for his family to get good meals. An enduring story in North Carolina politics is how Rufus Edmisten's remarks about barbecue during his campaign for governor in 1984 may have cost him the election. As he explained, "I got up one night and, in a very, very lax moment--the devil made me do it — I made a horrible statement. I said, 'I'm through with barbecue.'" When Edmisten showed up for my visit to Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, we persuaded him to tell us the whole story. It was so good we could have charged admission. And there is a connection to the book. Edmisten explained that his first call about the widely circulated quote came from his campaign treasurer Wilber Shirley. Shirley is the legendary owner of Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro, an important chapter in my book. He is so important that he could be called North Carolina's Mr. Barbecue. As he continued, Edmisten was smiling, but it was a forced and practiced smile, as he explained that Shirley was not happy with him. His next call came from the head of the North Carolina Pork Council adding his complaint. Many more that followed. Edmisten continued, "And things were never the same. And I always believed that if I hadn't said that about barbecue, I might've won the governor's race." There is more. And if my editors allow me, I will tell a few more stories in another column sometime soon. One Campaign's Happy Ending by D.G. MARTIN D.G. MARTIN, Host of UNC's Book Watch. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200