Save Volare?

Egads. Volare owner chef-owner Fabio Salazar says his business is down since he moved to Elizabeth from Myers Park. "I don't have much time to hang out over here," Salazar told the Observer, adding that he could call it quits in Elizabeth by the end of the year. Do we want to lose such a great restaurant? I wouldn't think so. I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't eaten at Volare since the move, so I can't say if they've lost a step. But I can say they were great on Providence.

Latest restaurant rumor

The latest rumor is that the planned Mexican restaurant in the old Arrow cleaner's spot between Roy White Flowers and Sub Station is dead. Instead it will be a beer, burgers and billiards concept. A thought from an anonymous observer: Don't we have enough beer and burger spots nearby? I might have to agree with that. But let's see how it turns out.

Your big chance

Maya Packard needs help. One of the homes in the Home Tour has dropped out. Don't you want to help? Maya writes:

I have just heard from our Homes Tour coordinator that one of our houses has just dropped out, only five weeks before the tour. I know that it is a lot to ask, but we really need to have that slot filled in order to have the tour this year! This event raises about $7,000 for our neighborhood every year, which we really need to do all the things we do. We NEED the Homes Tour! You may not think your home is tour-worthy, but you might be surprised. Some people go on the tour to see lovely decor, some go to see a new addition or remodel, some go because they are just curious to see how other people live, or what is behind those walls they walk by day after day. Having had my house on the tour last year myself, I will admit that it is not easy to prepare for it, but it isn't as bad as you might think, and it is excellent motivation to give (or hire someone to give) your house that deep cleaning you keep meaning to get around to, and to finish up those little projects that have been hanging over your head. If there is any way you would consider opening your home on the weekend of Oct 13 & 14, or even if you just want to know what is involved, please, please email or call me at 704-334-2196.

I hope you'll consider helping.

Goodbye Independence

I've been meaning to mention how Independence Boulevard is slowly retreating from our daily lives in Elizabeth. (Would that it never entered!) Back in 1946 the city decided to cleave some decent neighborhoods with the abomination that would become Independence Boulevard. Many years later the ungainly behemoth was turned into a limited access freeway, more useful for Union County residents than those who live and suffer next to it. We were left with a relatively useless section of divided highway between 7th Street and downtown, kind of an impotent reminder of poor decisions of the past. But no more. In June, our slice of Independence history was quietly renamed Charlottetowne Avenue. I say good riddance.

Over crowding at Eastover

Those of you with school-aged children know that Elizabeth is in the Eastover Elementary school attendance zone for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. We're lucky. It's a very good school. So good in fact, everyone wants to go there.

Right now 541 kids are enrolled at Eastover, in a school that's built to house about 430. There's a waiting list of 92. One third-grade class has 34 kids in it. There are 367 kids who live in the Eastover zone that attend other CMS schools. The projections for coming years show more, not fewer, children coming.

CMS policy is a school must accommodate children who live in the attendance zone. That means when a child shows up, the principal has to find a place for him or her. No matter how many hims or hers there are. CMS also has a fairly strict sibling policy, meaning if one kid gets in all the rest do too.

If you've driven by Eastover, you'll notice one thing that separates it from other schools, even other inner-city schools. It's wedged in. There's no room to add more classrooms. There's no room to even add trailers.

What is the solution? You can't tell parents who live in the Eastover zone they can't come. You can't build more space at the school. You can't go on housing 541 kids in a school build for 100 less than that, although that's exactly what will happen this year.

What about next year, when the problem will be worse? The only apparent solution is to change the attendance zone. Carve off bits and pieces and send those kids elsewhere. You can imagine how upsetting this will be to a lot of people.

Look for meetings in September to discuss changes to the attendance zone (click on "Locate your child's school," enter your address, click submit, click Go and click on "View attendance zone" under Eastover). How will it affect Elizabeth?

Mark at Customshop

If you're heading over to Customshop on Elizabeth, see if you can get Mark as your server. We did recently and had a blast. Mark and his wife are expecting their first baby in a few months, and he is just as happy as he can be about it while still exhibiting the appropriate amount of fear and uncertainty. Do your best to reassure him and enjoy your meal.

We certainly did ours, and ran into some friends who were return customers and raved about the place. Over on Chowhound, not so much. Here's my take on the criticism: When one of your owners writes a cookbook, the expectations are high. People want to be wowed by celebrity chefs. But I think Customshop is all about simplicity. Their site says they serve food "with the freshest quality ingredients and the simplest preparation." High expectations, celebrity chefs -- simple preparation. Uh oh. I would tend to agree that the prices lean toward the higher end -- especially the wine list -- but they're not out of line.

My wife Lolo and I both had fish. I had tuna, she had snapper. Both were simple and done to perfection. The presentation was elegant, yet -- surprise -- simple. A chocolate tort for desert was to die for. Mark's service was impeccable. Check it out for yourself and decide.

Can't be good for business

Winn Maddrey and his family enjoyed dinner at the new Intermezzo restaurant at Central and Louise the other night, but when they returned to their car they found the front passenger window smashed and Winn's briefcase gone. In it, among other things, was his laptop. On the laptop were a bunch of family photos. He said he's got copies of most of the photos elsewhere, but not all. And insurance is covering the monetary side of his loss. But, really, this can't be good for a new business to have that kind of crime outside its doors in broad daylight.

Bird's eye view

Over at UrbanPlanet, dubone has created some wonderful maps that give a bird's eye view of development projects around the city. Of special note, of course, are those in Elizabeth. Nice work dubone.

No comment from Fresh Market

The official word from the Fresh Market's PR people on a store in Elizabeth is: "no comment at this time." If anyone hears anything please let me know.

Ellizabeth Avenue at CPCC

By now most of us have gotten used to Elizabeth Avenue being closed between Kings and Charlottetown. The Observer reports it will open in time for the start of the fall term at CPCC, but don't get used to it. A construction project that's expected to take 18 months will close the street again in October. If this stretch of Elizabeth wasn't needed as a third way into and out of downtown, I'd say why not just close it permanently. But it's really useful when 7th and 3rd/4th get congested, even if traffic moves slowly on it.

How hot was it?

Wednesday was the second day in a row of plus-100 degree temperatures at our house. Hot enough to fry an egg on the street? Well, actually, no. Our children Anne, 10, and Alan, 12, put the lie to the myth by cracking this egg on the manhole cover on Bay Street between Clement and Lamar and letting it sit for an hour. If you like your eggs really runny, this one might be done enough for you. Otherwise I recommend Shomars or John's Country Kitchen. (Photo by Anne McBride)

Best of Charlotte in Elizabeth

A number of Elizabeth establishments made Creative Loafing's Best Of Charlotte 2007 list. Among them Hawthorne's New York Pizza and Bar was named best late night restaurant by the critics and Visualite was named best concert venue [small]. Visart Video was mentioned as having the best video/DVD rental selection. Although they aren't strictly in Elizabeth, the Penguin, Thomas Street Tavern and Elizabeth Billiards also received raves.

So far-o, Solero

Great reviews continue to pour in for Solero, in the old Ethan's/Pearl spot on Caswell. I was there with friends recently, and I can tell you the owner is very gracious and accommodating. We had only appetizers, so I can't speak about the dinner menu. The high-profile location deserves a signature restaurant we can be proud of, as Ethan's was. I'll be going back to see if it makes it.

Pressures in Commonwealth-Morningside

Our neighbor Commonwealth-Morningside is seeing big changes, none more so than the development of Morningside Village. They're also seeing the pressures renovations can bring to a neighborhood. "People are buying the old, little bungalows and putting up these 3,800-square-foot homes that aren't in keeping with the neighborhood," said Krista Murphy. So, wisely, the neighborhood association held a meeting, bringing builders, architects and neighbors together to talk about renovations. The association has no power to stop people from doing what they want. But better to be proactive than reactive. While we watch how things play out in Commonwealth-Morningside, we probably want to continue to pursue our own Small Area Plan. Will it make everyone happy? Probably not. But if we don't get everyone together to talk about what we want our neighborhood to be, we won't know what makes people happy until after they become unhappy.

Fresh Market instead of Whole Foods?

Rumor has it that Whole Foods is out and Fresh Market perhaps is in for the Grubb Properties grocery store in the Elizabeth development. Anyone know anything more?

First stops

What does it mean that, after a week of vacation out west, our first stop when we got back in town (after the gas station, which doesn't count because the tank was on E) was VisArt Video and our second stop was Hawthorne's New York Pizza and Bar? I don't know. But I think we're happy to be home.

On certifying my habitat

So I went to the meeting at Jen Cline's house the other day. A fellow from the National Wildlife Federation talked about how getting your yard certified is easy and, more importantly, why it's a good thing. We're not talking about encouraging raccoons, possums or feral cats. In an urban setting the wildlife we're after is mostly birds, bees and butterflies.

To attract this kind of wildlife, you need to offer the same essentials outside your house that you offer the wild life inside: Food, water and shelter. Most of us have some plants that produce seeds or berries or pollen. Planting native species can offer more alternatives and cut down on watering and fertilizer use. And a water source can be as simple as bird bath or a terra cotta dish that fills up when it rains.

I'm going to take another serious look at the mess that is my yard, and see if I can come up with a plan that will improve not only its looks (wouldn't be hard to do) but also its value to birds, bees and butterflies. And then I think I'll spring for the $15 fee and see if I can get certified. Maybe you'd like to too?

8th Street: Certified wildlife habitat?

Should 8th Street become the first street in Charlotte to be named a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation? How should I know? I'm going to try to attend a planning meeting tomorrow, July 19, at 6 p.m. at Jen Cline's house at 2025 E. 8th St. to find out. Maybe I'll see you there.

Whole Foods CEO not anonymous

The latest news from the Whole Foods front is discouraging, although it has nothing to do with the company's Charlotte locations. Apparently Whole Foods CEO John Mackey thought he was anonymous online and used Yahoo message boards to "assail competition and promote his supermarket chain’s stock," the New York Times (login required) reports. You know it's bad if the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into your sock-puppetry.

This report does nothing to burnish the reputation of Whole Foods. When taken together with the recent realization that Elizabethans who have emailed Whole Foods won't be getting a personal reply as promised, well you start to wonder if Whole Foods is a special outfit or just another big company.

Dancing for school bonds

In case you missed it, Mecklenburg County commissioners chairman and Elizabethan Jennifer Roberts danced a jig after the board unanimously agreed to a school bond plan. Talk about dancing with the stars.

While the subject is school bonds, remember that despite what seems to be constant bickering between members of the school board and the county commissioners, the only real disagreement among them was over the size of the school bond package. There is no disagreement on the need.

A gift to early Elizabeth settlers

Remember the Revolutionary War-era graves that were unearthed during the construction going on at Mercy Hospital at Fifth, Caswell and Vail? The remains of those settlers are being re-buried today in a west Charlotte cemetery, but there's more to the story than that. Bill Merritt, the project manager of the $100 million Mercy project, got to know the descendants of the settlers and apparently felt some kind of connection. On his own time he hand-built four oak coffins in the style of the 1770s: "wide at the shoulders and tighter at the toes like the outlines found in the clay at the construction site."

Thank you, Bill Merritt, for going beyond your duties, and thank you for your humanity.

New restaurants coming

Word on the street is that the Recognition Plus building on Central Avenue (near Hawthorne) will be converted into not one but two restaurants, one of which is described as "upscale Mexican." Clearly the folks who'll reside in the 400+ apartments being built on Hawthorne between Independence and Central will need a place to eat.

Reward offered for missing ring

A friend reports losing a wedding ring while strolling through Elizabeth last Sunday. He had enjoyed a movie at the Manor Theatre and decided to go for a walk through Elizabeth. His route covered Laurel, 8th, Kenmore, Greenway, Vail and Ridgeway, and perhaps streets in between. It's a plain gold wedding band with no inscription, and how it fell out of his pocket -- where he put it while washing his hands at the Manor -- he doesn't know. But he says he'll gladly pay a $50 reward. If you see it, let me know by commenting to this post and I'll get the two of you together.

Small area plan still large

I hope you've had a chance to read Andrew and Becca Nesbit's excellent article in the Summer 2007 issue of the Elizabeth Community Association newsletter. If you haven't, I encourage you to check it out. It is an concise summation of why the original Elizabeth Small Area Plan was so important to our neighborhood and why we need to do another one. Here are a couple of highlights from Andrew and Becca's article:

1. "As a result of our engagement in [the project to update the ESAP], we've learned that many of the things we love about Elizabeth were not accidental, but instead were the result of cooperation, dedication and extensive planning."
2. "The original Elizabeth Small Area Plan, which took five years to complete, was the first small area plan adopted in Charlotte."
3. "Today... there is no reference to the Elizabeth Neighborhood Plan on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department website nor is a copy available in the department's office."
4. "There exists no officially recognized document to guide development and provide a framework for evaluating and providing input to the constant changes that face Elizabeth."
5. "Elizabeth has an identity and will continue to have one, but that identity should be determined and developed by those who care for Elizabeth, not those who see Elizabeth as a place... to make a profit."

With some comments from yours truly, referring to the points above by number:

1. I hope everyone realizes that Elizabeth would not be Elizabeth -- that is to say it would be a lot less than it is -- without the original ESAP. I don't think this point can be overstated.
2. The group of folks -- Ken Lambla and others -- who brought you the original ESAP were visionary ground-breakers. Can we fill their shoes?
   
3. These things are living documents. If we don't care and feed them, they will expire. Ours has expired, leaving us vulnerable.
   
4. This means every time a Blockbuster wants to put a brightly-lit, big-box, huge-parking lot edifice in your backyard and unscrupulous local business owners start tearing down houses in the middle of the night, we have to fight it with little support.
   
5. Either we do it or someone else will. Someone else may not have our best interests at heart.

I encourage everyone to volunteer to help design the new Elizabeth Small Area Plan. Call Andrew Nesbitt at 704-344-9725 if you'd like to help.

Storm damage

I hope yesterday's brief but powerful storm left you unharmed, although clearly lots of folks suffered damage to their homes and other property. We were very lucky at our house, no damage and no power loss in what several long-time Elizabethans are calling a "mini-Hugo." And if you drive or walk down some of the streets, the resemblance to that storm is striking. We'll be talking about this one for years, I imagine.


This house on the corner of East 8th and Ridgeway was lucky when the tree in the front yard (below) missed it, but then part of another tree landed on the roof (above).



A huge tree fell on pecan (above) but didn't appear to damage any surrounding houses. "I'd call it a miracle," said one observer. It was still blocking one lane on Sunday.


This fallen tree on Bay (above) managed to get both house and at least one car, although you can't see it in this photo.

We're No. 1,755,354!

Your favorite blog, UTWT natch, is the 1,755,354th-most popular blog in the blogosphere, according to Technorati. Huzzah! I shall not rest until it becomes the 1,755,353rd-most popular.

Leaky no more

I have been remiss. I have neglected to mention that all the leaks I reported to the city have been fixed. I wish I had been more diligent in following up on them so I could report exactly how much time passed between reporting and fixing. I can say this: I noticed some time ago that they were fixed. I just never got around to posting it here. Since I drive on East 7th Street several times weekly, and that leak was hard to miss, I'm reasonably sure that one was cleared up quickly.

Biofuel man also an Elizabethan

Elizabeth's own Bob Teixeira converted his '81 diesel Mercedes to run on vegetable oil -- and then got nailed by state and federal governments for not paying fuel taxes. I'm still feeling the patriotic buzz from yesterday's festivities, but let's face it: The laws that penalized Bob for attempting to do something about our dependence on oil are just wrong. You might mention that the next time you see Dan Clodfelter, Jennifer Roberts, Dumont Clarke or any other elected official wandering around Elizabeth. Should we start a collection to pay Bob's fines?

Fabulous Fourth

Two things distinguished this year's Elizabeth 4th of July parade and party: Cooler weather and fewer people than recent years. Also, the traditional lead car -- Hardin Minor's Blue Heaven Mustang convertible -- had a flat tire and saw no duty in the march. (That's Hardin at right, getting the marchers fired up at the parade's start.) In fact there were fewer vehicles of all stripes this year. But what we may have lacked in wheeled entrants, we more than made up for in hot dogs. Burp.

Parade notice

The annual Elizabeth 4th of July parade is at 10:30 a.m. today. Corner of Clement and Bay. See you there.

Parade coming

Don't forget the annual Elizabeth 4th of July parade coming up Wednesday. Just because the Observer forgot about it doesn't mean you get to. More details to come.

Storm damage

Sunday night's bombastic storms caused some damage at Cuisine Malaya at the corner of Independence and Elizabeth. Part of the building's facade fell off, forcing Mecklenburg County to declare the building unsafe. More thunderstorms today probably didn't help matters. (Photos by Lolo Pendergrast.)

Whole Foods roundup

Back from vacation. Time to catch up on the Whole Foods beat:

• I hope you enjoyed the Observer article "Fighting for 1st Whole Foods" on June 9. In it, a UNCC marketing professor agreed with me that the SouthPark location makes more sense for Whole Foods's first foray into Charlotte, but was more hopeful about letter-writing campaigns than I was. A Whole Foods spokesman said the company plans to answer every email. So let's hear it: Who emailed Whole Foods? If not, why not? Did you get a reply? What did they say? Comments please!
• Meanwhile, let's hope that when Whole Foods does come to Elizabeth, they adopt the single-line, bank-style (registration required) of check-out "queue management." "By 7 p.m. on a weeknight, the lines at each of the four Whole Foods stores in Manhattan can be 50 deep, but they zip along faster than most lines with 10 shoppers," the New York Times reports. We may be more gracious than some New Yorkers when it comes to waiting in line, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. If only our own Harris Teeter had room for such an improvement.
  

Movie Tavern on Elizabeth

Lost in my pitiful mewling about the Whole Foods loss was the news of the really cool Movie Tavern, part of a 70,000-square-foot entertainment complex on Elizabeth Avenue. Movie Tavern "combines first-run movies with a casual dining menu offering a wide range of choices that include half-pound burgers, homemade pizzas, chicken sandwiches, wings and fries, appetizers, fresh salads, beer, wine, and mixed beverages," according to its Web site. We're talking six screens, first-run movies, "art house films" -- and a bar. I'm there. Anyone from Texas familiar with Movie Tavern? The Observer reports a late 2008 or early 2009 theater opening.

Developer Grubb Properties says after Movie Tavern, the rest of the $300 million development "is being designed for a collection of boutiques along Elizabeth Avenue, two terrace level restaurants overlooking a central plaza and a 15,000 square foot club." Sweet.

Juneteenth of the Carolinas

The tenth annual Juneteenth of the Carolinas celebration kicks off June 14 and continues through June 16 at Independence Park. Juneteenth commemorates the freeing of the last slaves in the U.S. on June 19, 1865 -- more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Elizabethan Peter Tart, who supplied these pictures from last year's festival, writes:

"I think we are fortunate to have our neighborhood's park host such an important event and hope we display a large participation. I've attended for the last three years and have been impressed with the variety of costumes, customs, artwork and gestures of inclusion and friendliness. I'll be there this year as well and hope to see many of my neighbors. Incidentally, the festival last year had a wonderful parade along the park's sidewalk."

The parade will be back on both Saturday and Sunday. Should be an excellent event.

Can email campaign save our Whole Foods?

Some folks have started a Whole Foods email campaign, trying to get them to reconsider starting a SouthPark store before an Elizabeth store. Here's some suggested text:

Whole Foods belongs on Elizabeth Avenue in Charlotte!

There's no sense in beating around the bush. As a neighbor of the exciting Elizabeth Avenue project, I can tell you that there's no better place in Charlotte for your store, and there are thousands of people like me who are waiting anxiously for Whole Foods to open.

As you might expect, then, we are extremely disappointed to hear that plans for this location are now "on hold."

Most of the people here in Elizabeth, Myers Park, Eastover, Uptown, and Plaza Midwood are familiar with your stores in the Triangle area, Atlanta, even Charleston and metro DC. We're big fans, and we'll be big shoppers. Why?

* Because we love to shop right here, and we don't like fighting the congestion in places like South Park and Ballantyne.
* Because a store at the intersection of Elizabeth Avenue, Hawthorne Avenue and 4th Street is right on our way to work - and home - and to most of the places we love in Charlotte.
* And because these are communities that are incredibly supportive of our "own" merchants.

At Elizabeth Avenue, you'll not only be the best option for Charlotte's urban condominium market and its numerous historical close-in neighborhoods, you'll be the only convenient option. So you can expect a much higher share of our grocery dollars than you'd ever get in a more competitive
location like South Park.

We hope the news we're hearing about Whole Foods in Charlotte is wrong and that you'll soon be announcing plans to accelerate the opening of your store in Elizabeth. It's the right place, and the best place, for you to be.

The folks to email are CEO John Mackey (John.Mackey@wholefoods.com), South Region President Scott Allshouse (scott.allshouse@wholefoods.com) and VP for Real Estate Norah Smith (norah.smith@wholefoods.com). Note the email pattern. Assuming it holds, you can probably figure out a few more people to email from this list.

While an email campaign probably can't hurt, I have to say I'm dubious. I have my doubts about the effectiveness of email campaigns to begin with. But more importantly, I think the SouthPark store is a done deal. No way Whole Foods can concede the SouthPark market to competitor Earth Fare, whose SouthPark store is scheduled to open in November. If you're Whole Foods and you're comparing the two locations, it's pretty clear that Elizabeth can wait and SouthPark can't -- as much as I hate to say that. But maybe we should all email them anyway, just to make sure they don't change their minds and never come to Elizabeth.

Street car delay's first loss: Whole Foods

It's probably not completely accurate to blame the loss of the Elizabeth Whole Foods store on the inane decision to put off work until 2013 work on the center city street car line. But certainly it played some role in the decision making. "Both Whole Foods and Grubb were disappointed the planned streetcar line connecting uptown to Central Avenue was delayed recently," the Observer reported.

Look at the area immediately surrounding the proposed Whole Foods site in Elizabeth. Then look at the area immediately surrounding Sharon and Colony roads, where the SouthPark Whole Foods will go. I'm partial to my neighborhood, but let's face it. If you're a developer and you take some Whole Foods honchos to Elizabeth and Hawthorne and tell them to put a store there, you're selling the future. And up until recently you were able to throw in the street car to sweeten that future. Now take those same Whole Foods honchos to Sharon and Colony. You don't have to imagine a bright future for SouthPark -- it's already there.

Free ice cream

Crime Dawg writes:

The Dawg has a sweet tooth, so he can’t resist passing along the news that the recently opened Elizabeth Creamery on Elizabeth Avenue is having a free ice cream day tomorrow, 12-6 p.m. The ice cream is made "in house," one more reason to support a new addition to our neighborhood. And tell ‘em the Dawg sent you!

Mercy! Graves found under parking lot

Who knew there was so much history in Elizabeth? Some of the work going on at Mercy Hosptial has been stopped while archaeologists dig up the 13 Revolutionary War-era graves workers found underneath the parking lot. One of the gravestones they found read: "Here lies the body of Thomas Barnet who deceas'd May The 3d, 1776, aged 22 years." (Think you have a cemetery in your back yard? Check here.)

Wonder how Mr. Barnet died. Wonder what life was like in our neighborhood back then. Did everyone add a second story to their single-story log cabin? Were cankerworms and crime dreaded? I suppose life was quite a bit different in those days. After all, Independence hadn't even been widened yet.

Know whose dog this is?

Crime Dawg reports this dog is looking for its owners. If you know who belongs to this canine, call Lucy Amedio at 704-622-8589.

From Crime Dawg

Progressively better

It seems like the Elizabeth Progressive Dinner just gets better every year. This year's bash, wonderfully organized by Beth Haenni, was as inviting as the day. That's my group above, at Judy Ghoneim's house on Greenway. For once I didn't overstuff myself at the appetizer house (smaller photo) before dinner, although not because the appetizer fare was lacking -- it wasn't. No, I actually exercised a bit of self-restraint, as hard as that is to believe. At least until I got to the the chocolate desserts at Jane and Roxie's. Thanks to Beth and Maya Packard, all the host houses and anyone else who had a hand in making this the premier neighborhood event. Find the recipies here.

Changing Elizabeth

You can't turn around without seeing an empty lot where once there was an old building; an apartment complex where once there was a vacant lot; a second floor where once there was only a first; a hole where once stood a big tree. Elizabeth is changing faster than we know. Do we have a handle on it?

Of course he does

When George Clooney comes to Charlotte, what neighborhood does he head for? Elizabeth, of course. There was an amazingly sparse crowd of onlookers on hand this afternoon at Memorial Stadium, where filming for "Leatherheads" is underway. Some kind of action was going on inside the stadium. I was able to see a small crowd of extras dressed warmly in 1920s-style hats and coats, and at one point they let out a cheer. But I couldn't see what, if anything, was happening on the field. (It's hard to see through all the fences.) The film schedule has Clooney and company here through April 20 before heading up to Statesville. Word is the stars are just as loveable in person.

Calling all show-offs

Time to start planning the 2007 Elizabeth Home Tour. As you probably know, the annual home tour is one of our most important fundraisers, and last year's was a great success. If you've just remodeled your home or business, consider inviting others in to check it out during the tour, which will be in the fall (although a date has not been set yet). Of course you don't have to remodel to be featured on the tour, and you don't have to open your home if you want to get involved. Terry Lett is looking for homes to feature, volunteers to work and businesses to sponsor. Call 704-377-0052 or email terrylett at bellsouth dot net.

Caldwell growing at 95

Our own Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian is seeing new growth in what one member calls the miracle of 5th Street.

Look what I got

Hughes showed off his Easter egg cache after a successful morning at the Elizabeth Easter egg hunt in Independence Park. Hughes is the youngest son of Elizabeth and Winn Maddrey of Elizabeth.

Big E race starts

Elvis himselvis was of course on hand for the 21st annual Big E road race, waving the flag at the starting line this morning at 8. Elvis says he's switched to organic jelly doughnuts and was looking rather buff. He didn't run in the race, though, which kind of makes you question his commitment to his health.

Tree talk

Let's think about our blooming trees this weekend. First, if you haven't already, remove the cankerworm bands. Their work is done. Second, run or walk in the 21st Annual Elizabeth 8K road race 8 a.m. on Saturday. Proceeds from the race go toward replenishing our canopy. Then at 10:30, join us under the shade of the big trees in upper Independence Park for the Mad Hatter Easter egg hunt. Wear your silliest hat.

Farewell Eastland

When I first visited Charlotte in 1979, one of the places I went was Eastland Mall. It was still a marvel then, a big shopping mall with an ice skating rink. Now they want to tear it down. Which is probably the right thing to do. SouthPark is the same distance from my house, but Eastland always felt closer. Little reason to go there now, though.

ECA newsletter

When you get the Spring 2007 edition of the ECA newsletter (currently being delivered), be sure to check out the excellent primer on zoning by Tony Miller.

Leaks continue

Ok so I'm naive. I wanted to believe the city would respond within 72 hours like they promised they would when I reported a pair of leaks three weeks ago. So I called back again today, re-reporting the first two leaks and adding another: East 7th Street at Beaumont (above). As the pictures taken today (below) show, the first two leaks are still leaking. The clock starts today on the Beaumont leak. We're at three weeks and counting for the other two. Stay tuned.

Another one bites the dust

Ancient Independence Park denizen succumbs to pressures of city life.

Top 5 Elizabeth streets

1. Clement -- Some day, maybe.


2. Greenway -- The short and winding road that ends in a rose garden.


3. East 8th -- Of course.


4. East 5th -- With buses gone, add quiet to its class.


5. East 9th -- Short but sweet.

Both sides of 5th

Crime Dawg writes:

Here is a note from CDOT: Within the next few days, we will be removing the parking signs on 5th Street between Osborne and Dotger at the request of the Elizabeth neighborhood. Traditionally the street has been parked on one side only. In an effort to slow the traffic down, we are allowing both sides to be parked. CATS buses are no longer routed down 5th Street and the street is wide enough to support the parking.

Leaky 'Lizbeth

It's been some time since it's rained, so when the street is wet where else can the water come from except below? Some of the water leaking at Clement and Park (below) froze on the street overnight. The one on the 1900 block of East 7th Street (above) was flowing strongly downhill. Fortunately it's easy to report water leaks. Call 311 anytime. Took me about five minutes to report these two leaks this morning. They promise to respond within 72 hours. That would be Valentine's Day. Let's see if they keep that promise.

Moon over 'Lizbeth

Did you check out the moon last Wednesday night before the storm came in? Around 7:30 or so the clouds created a really cool set of colored rings around our lunar neighbor. Peter Tart snapped this picture just after the peak color time. It was quite a show. Peter also pointed to this page that explains the phenomenon. Thanks Peter.

Jennifer watch

There she goes again, this time on a skateboard. (You'll have to look at page 20A of the Sunday Observer to see the photo of Jennifer Roberts with helmet and pads -- it's not on the Web site.)

Million dollar baby

Is it a first? The house at 1928 E. 9th Street is for sale, asking price: $1.1 million. This is not your typical Elizabeth bungalow. We're talking 3,400 square feet, a triple lot and a detached two-car garage with a 600-square-foot upstairs. But a million dollars? Has it been done before? Will it happen now? We'll see...

Dig they must

I think they're almost done with the work under 7th Street in front of Fig Tree restaurant. Looks like they were fixing the drainage under 7th Street, although I can never seem to find someone to ask. Cut up a good slice of Independence Park while they were at it. I'm sure they'll make it as good as new when they're done.

Conformity in Dilworth

Who's behind the cool new project in Dilworth known as Southborough? Elizabeth's own Conformity Corp., of course.

Hermitage report

Don't we all want the kind of close-knit neighborhood they have over on Hermitage Court? A deep sense of history, a sense of belonging, a sense of ownership not just of an individual property but of a piece of the place where you live. Former Bay Street Elizabethan Ian Kutner is amont the people who have found it there. Don't we also have it here?

Lambla's British Tradition

Elizabethan June Lamblas' show "The Figure: A British Tradition" has opened at the McColl Center for Visual Art uptown. The Observer takes a look at it.

UCLA

It's the state's largest community college, with 2,100 employees, 70,000 students and six campuses -- and a huge impact on the city. Yet it rarely feels like CPCC's main campus is a part of the neighborhood, despite the visionary leadership of Tony Zeiss. Is that a fair statement? Do we need to start a dialog?

Allan Reed

Many of you may remember Allan Reed, the piano teacher who for a time lived and taught on Clement before moving to Chambwood in our neighbor Plaza-Midwood. I'm sorry to say Mr. Reed passed away Jan. 25. He was a fantastic man, an excellent piano teacher and he will be missed.

Thousands perish in neighborhood disaster

The Tanglefoot is doing its job, capturing thousands of cankerworm moths as they try to climb trees in Elizabeth. I see the moths everywhere -- on sidewalks, porches, trees -- and I have to say I'm snuffing out as many of their lives as I can (while feeling somewhat guilty about my naked agression). It certainly seems like they had a fruitful mating season. More on cankerworms here.

Elizabethans on parade

There was Jennifer Roberts on the Local front of the Observer Sunday and Dan Clodfelter on page 2 on Monday. I'm sure you noticed.

Brixx bits

Perhaps the successful Brixx Wood Fired Pizza restaurants got their start in Dilworth in 1998, but co-owner Eric Horsley chooses to live in Elizabeth. The Charlotte pizza chain has expansion plans.

Surreal streetcars

The continuing saga of mass transit in Elizabeth now enters its surreal phase. How else can you describe the decision to lay the tracks now but not use them for 12 years? This decision makes no sense. If we don't have streetcars we don't need track. Twelve years is an eternity when it comes to public policy. Will laying track now guarantee a route will go up Elizabeth Avenue? No. Will it guarantee we'll even have a streetcar? No. So what's the point?

Dilworth break-ins

Note the brief item in The Observer (can't find it on the Web site) on page 2 of the Local section about a series of break-ins in nearby Dilworth. People were home during the break-ins. I think this is rare -- and I certainly hope it stays that way.

Who's next for a booth?

If you really miss Anderson's restuaruant, buy one of the old booths from the Habitat Restore.

Gorman in the 'hood

CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman will talk on "The Mind of Charlotte" from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 (pdf), at St. John's Baptist Church on Hawthorne Lane at 5th Street. It's free. (Thanks Andria.)

More ink for Roberts

More nice comments for our own Jennifer Roberts, this time from Creative Loafing: "In a county that has grown politically stale, Roberts is a fresh new face to watch." (scroll down)

Wake-up call for Elizabeth

Hope you're watching what's happening to our friends in Dilworth. They face the same pressures we do as a popular inner-city neighborhood dealing with growth. But they have a wild card we don't: Light rail. Mass transit for our corridor has been put off so far in the future it likely will never happen. Unfortunately that does not relieve us of the burden of preparing for what it might bring. Look what happened Monday.

Charlotte City Council approved a rezoning that will allow a massive project on the edge of Dilworth -- despite opposition from the Dilworth Community Development Association, despite reservations (pdf) from city planners. "The vote is a test case for the kind of development the city will allow along the rail line," the Observer reported.

Anyone who follows local politics knows developers hold tremendous sway over all our elected bodies. I'm not suggesting anything untoward. The Dilworth project will increase revenues for the city, put people to work, provide housing and likely spur further development. A few neighbors and planners can't compete against that -- even in a society where the "will of the people" is supposedly sacrosanct.

This should serve as a wake-up call for Elizabeth. How do we make sure we don't get steamrolled by the city and developers in the future? We get together now, all of us, and decide what's right for our neighborhood. Let's start with a small area plan (not that it helped Dilworth in this case) and go from there. Maybe we work with our friends in surrounding neighborhoods. Democracy it won't easy. Demoracy isn't. But if we don't start acting now, it will only get harder.

Rezoning approved

The city approved B&E Properties, LLC request for a rezoning at the corner of Hawthorne Lane and E. 5th Street Monday night. A medical office building is planned for the site.

7th Street stats

Examine the November Elizabeth Crime stats and notice that 29 of 61 incidents -- almost half! -- occurred on East 7th Street. No surprise, I suppose, since 7th carries the highest traffic and the most people. It might be easy to dismiss the stats because of that. Maybe many or even most of the incidents happened to people who live elsewhere. We should avoid thinking like that. East 7th Street is the gateway to our Elizabeth and our entertainment center. We need to take care of it.

Captains of the block

Crime Dawg writes:

The ECA also needs block captains who live on the west side of 7th (towards Randolph). The core responsibility is to occasionally (approx. 5-6 times a year) distribute flyers to the houses in your area/block. It’s actually a lot of fun and a great way to see you neighbors on a weekend afternoon. And it only takes a little time (most routes can now be done is less than 30 minutes), especially if we have more captains to break up the routes. Remember, the more captains and the shorter the routes. Please contact Russell Crandall if you are interested in becoming an ECA block captain.  Please DO NOT contact the Crime Dawg! He’s got more than enough crime fighting on his hands.

Let's party

Yo it's time to party Elizabeth style. See you at Jane and Roxie's at 7 p.m.

Thunder Road

The Thunder Road Marathon will be run Dec. 9, and the route goes right down Hawthorne Lane. Make sure you take that into consideration when you're making your Saturday morning plans.

Game day parkers

The Crime Dawg writes:

Pigskin action will take place at Memorial this weekend. The Dawg likes ‘Pendence to keep the streak alive.

A note from our own Sgt Stahnke:

The football game between Independence and Butler High Schools has been moved to Memorial Stadium Dec. 2. This game has an 8 p.m. kickoff with gates opening at 6:30. This event comes on the heels of the “Pioneer Bowl” football game between Tuskeegee and J.C. Smith, scheduled for 2 p.m. Due to these two events and the related festivities and activities associated, the Elizabeth area should expect heavy amounts of traffic, in the late afternoon particularly. Officers will be assigned to intersections near the stadium to assist with traffic control, but there will still be delays and heavy traffic flow.

Party time

Michelle Dagenhart writes:

Tell your neighbors - THE HOLIDAY PARTY is here! The Party this year will be held on Friday, December 8 from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. Jane and Roxie Towns have graciously agreed to host again this year in their home at 1512 East 8th Street.

The Holiday Party is for everyone who lives in Elizabeth or has a business in Elizabeth. If you are new or old to the neighborhood, single or couple, owner or renter, resident or business owner – you are welcome. Come for a few minutes or stay a while, whatever fits into your evening plans. We do recommend that you find a sitter for your children, as this is an adult event.

The ECA will provide wine, beer, beverages and a spiral ham served with rolls. No RSVP is needed. Guests are asked to bring an appetizer or dessert to share. Your dish should serve approximately 10-12 people and be served on a disposable plate or platter. If you know you will be coming late in the evening, it would be helpful if you drop your dish earlier in the day. A waiter will be at the Towns home an hour before the party to accept early dishes. Please call Michelle Dagenhart at 704-335-0280 or Maya Packard 704-334-2196 with any questions.

Jennifer the chair

One Elizabethan writing about another: The Observer's Jim Morrill's woman-in-the-news piece on Jennifer Roberts. She'll have her hands full as new chairman of the Mecklenburg County commissioners. I'm confident she's up to the task. After all, it's not the school board.

Challenge in Cherry

Interesting situation in nearby Cherry. A developer wants to tear down 63 homes and replace them with townhomes and condominiums. Residents are rightly worried that the development will lead to higher property values, which could price people out of the neighborhood. Frankly I'm surprised it took so long for developers to descend on Cherry, although they've been encroaching on it for some time now. Will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

Spreading the dough

Charlotte's best pizza restaurant, Hawthorne's New York Pizza & Bar will open a new restaurant on N.C. 51 in Mint Hill next summer. Looks like the Adams boys are continuing to do well.

Shameless promotion

Strictly speaking my sister no longer helps to inhabit our fair corner of the world. But hey -- once an Elizabethan, always an Elizabethan, right? So perhaps I can without guilt invite you to shop at the new Web site she launched for Earrings and Company. Let me know and I'll get you 25% off between now and Dec. 22.

7th Street anniversary

At this time of year it is appropriate to give thanks to the people who fought so hard for what we enjoy now. Like a three-lane 7th Street.

From a Nov. 8, 1985 Charlotte Observer story headlined Plan To Widen 7th Street Dropped:

Faced with neighborhood opposition, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission has backed down from its recommendation to widen 7th Street through the inner-city Elizabeth neighborhood....

More than 30 neighborhood residents, including city council member Pam Patterson, crowded into the commission`s meeting room to watch the vote. Over the past few weeks, residents had lobbied against widening the street`s four lanes. They complained that a wider road would split the neighborhood and destroy its character.

Planning commissioner Joe Griffin disagreed. ``I certainly don`t want to ruin Elizabeth,`` he said. ``But this is a chance to get another artery flowing into town. I`m in favor of doing it.``

City transportation planners told the commission that 7th Street will eventually need to be widened for safety reasons. Once construction begins on Independence Boulevard, they said, more traffic is expected on the street.

But, said Planning Director Martin Cramton, ``If we begin saying capacity and safety are more important than surrounding neighborhoods, we may as well kiss inner-city neighborhoods off. We need to make a strong statement in Charlotte.``

So thanks Pam Patterson (who still lives in Elizabeth) and Martin Cramton. And a big lusty boo to Joe Griffin. And while you're digesting your turkey, don't forget that there are many more Joe Griffins out there (especially at NCDOT), and they would dearly love to widen 7th Street so folks in Union County can get home faster.

So long mass transit

Looks like Elizabeth won't have mass transit as an issue to talk about for quite awhile -- if ever. Work on the center city street car line, which would run through Elizabeth, now won't start until 2013. Seems there's some debate about what timeline was promised, but Charlotte Center City says the project will be completed in 2009 (PDF). Add in the usual delays between now and then and we're talking 2018 at the earliest before they start design work. And, as I more or less predicted, work on the Southeast Corridor now won't start until 2016 at the earliest.

They delayed for five years starting work on one of Charlotte's heaviest commuter corridors. Now they've tacked another five years of wait to it. At this rate the corridor that affects us most won't be finished in my lifetime. Heck, it may not even get started. And if you think it doesn't matter to us because we're close in and don't need mass transit, see my post about widening 7th Street.

Sex offender

From a note to the Crime Dawg:

Please make sure neighbors are aware that a recently-released criminal and sex offender moved to our neighborhood (on Weddington) about a month ago. He is described as being a black male, 6'2" at 155 pounds. He has been seen walking almost daily on Greenway Avenue. in the past two-three weeks in the daytime hours. He is bald and walks with a pronounced "strut." He has been seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt that zips up.

Cankerworm grant

Crime Dawg writes:

The Cankerworm Initiative Neighborhood Matching Grant was awarded on November 13th to the Elizabeth Community Association. The majority of this donation will be used to purchase Tanglefoot. Band your trees [with batting and tarpaper]. We need all trees banded in Elizabeth by Thanksgiving, November 23rd. The Tanglefoot will be applied on the dates below while supplies last.

Today begins our call for community volunteers to come out and work together. We need at least one person per household to sign up. Please email the date or dates that best suit your schedule to print_it@bellsouth.net. If you are available at a different time then those shown below, please email and let me know when you can volunteer, we welcome all help. Someone will contact you with your meeting location prior to your scheduled work date.

Tanglefoot schedule:
Shift 1: November 25, 9am-1:00 pm
Shift 2: November 25, noon-4 pm
Shift 3: November 26, 9am-1:00 pm
Shift 4: November 26, noon-4 pm
Shift 5: December 2, 9am-1:00 pm
Shift 6: December 2, noon- 4 pm
Shift 7: December 3, 9am-1:00 pm
Shift 8: December 3, noon- 4 pm
Shift 9: December 9, 9 am – 1:00 pm
Shift 10: December 10 noon to 4:00 pm

Our tower on CD cover

With a cover that looks like it would do this site proud, you gotta love "Moved To Stanleyville," a limited edition CD from Tom Constanten and Ken Foust (with help from Jamie Hoover, Jim Brock, Mark Maxen and Ted Henderson). No self-respecting Elizabethan should be without a copy of this CD.

Pumpkin Wall -- The Movie

First posted video of the Pumpkin Wall. Thanks Snaps.

Wall is lit

The Pumpkin Wall was lit Saturday night at about 7 p.m., with Honorary Grand Marshall Harry Taylor saying a few words. My apologies for the quality of the photo. I need to get a tripod.

Pumpkin Wall, 3rd Ed.

The wall is up on Clement in front of the Alexander House. It lacks only pumpkins (this picture is from last year's wall, one house over at the Clodfelter's). Nightly pumpkin-carving parties start Wednesday, Oct. 25, or bring your own carved masterpiece. The official Pumpkin Wall lighting will be Saturday, with Honorary Grand Marshal Harry Taylor.

Elizabeth - The Movie

If you missed the Elizabeth video that was playing at Dwellings during the Elizabeth Home Tour last wekend, check it out here. Nice work Cory!

I miss it already

Trunk or Treat

The annual Elizabeth Trunk or Treat and Pot Luck Dinner will be Tuesday, Oct. 31 in Independence Park by the Rose Garden, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. In case you missed the flyer, here's what it says: "5:00 Decorate your trunk to give out non-sweet treats to our trick or treaters and visit with our local firemen and tour their truck. 5:30 Bring a dish to share, a drink and a blanket."

Us and Ellerbe

What does Elizabeth have in common with Wadesboro and Ellerbe? We're in the same Congressional District, the 8th. It's an interesting district, mostly rural eastern N.C. with a small hook into Mecklenburg. Hope you've been following the coverage of the 8th Congressional race in the Observer (much of it written by Elizabeth's own Jim Morrill). Incumbent Robin Hayes, a Republican, is challenged by Larry Kissell, a Democrat. There are some pretty clear differences between the candidates. I encourage you to look into them, avoid TV and radio ads at all costs and cast your vote for your favorite on election day.

Maya's kitchen

What a treat to see Maya Packard and her cool new kitchen on the front of the At Home section of the Observer this morning. Maya, one of the neighborhood's greatest assets, will -- in addition to everything else she does for Elizabeth -- be showing off her house in the Elizabeth Neighborhood Home Tour next weekend. With her husband Will, of course. Get your tickets at Royal Gardens, Compression Works or La-Tea-Da's. Maybe we can learn what a Sears kit house is.

Creating the Charlotte brand

I'm taking the high road and refusing to take cheap shots at this: "City tourism officials hope to come up with a catchy, evocative brand to attract more visitors to the region." Come up with a brand. I guess that means we don't have one. How will we know when we do?

I think by "brand" they mean something more than a slogan (my favorite: "Charlotte: A great place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.") Am I the only one who thinks that hiring someone from California to "design our brand" is so Charlotte? (How about: "Charlotte: Hiring Californians to brand us!") I guess the nice thing about a brand is that those of us who live here can ignore it.