Storefront Theatre's new season

While the website hasn't yet been updated, there's an ad in September's Village News (PDF) newsletter that appears to give us a sneak peak into this season's lineup.

I imagine the Storefront Theatre's website will eventually be updated with slightly more details about the upcoming performances.

Drug deal gone wrong in Marvin

Apparently a drug deal went bad in the Hunter Oaks neighborhood in Marvin last night. First spice, now weed.

WSOC has the story and video:

MARVIN, N.C. -- A suspected drug deal that ended in a shooting Sunday night has authorities worried about drugs infiltrating a Union County high school.

Cameron Cook, 17, was arrested Monday morning after deputies said he shot 19-year-old David Thomas Powell III three times in a small park in the Hunter Oaks subdivision in Marvin.

...

Luke said the drug deal points to a bigger problem at Marvin Ridge -- an increased drug trade targeting area teenagers.

WCNC has a more detailed story with embeddable video, so as far as I'm concerned, WCNC > WSOC. A snippet before the news clip:

Police collected about $800 worth of pot and other drug dealing paraphernalia at the scene and at least five people were involved in the incident.

...

“We’ve been working on this for awhile and recently the activity had intensified. It was getting to the point where there are fistfights, kicking fights…groups of boys getting larger,” Kelley said.

...

“I feel like we have a front row ticket to a show we do not want to watch," she added.

Cook is charged with possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana, felony possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

First Friday

First Friday is coming up again. I don't have much to add other than this flyer that I found via Facebook. If you're going to be around, it's worth hanging out.

Southsiders burger

Our family took a day trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia on Saturday thanks to this aforementioned deal. A good time was had by all; the penguins were my favorites for what it's worth.

We planned to eat on the way back, but really didn't come across any suitable restaurants, so we ended up in Waxhaw. We decided upon Rippington's because we'd never eaten there before and figured it was high time to take it for a test drive. (By the way, they've got a new bar.) Unfortunately for us, it was 5pm and Rippington's didn't open until 5.30pm.

Since we'd eaten an early lunch, waiting another half hour really wasn't an option, so we decided to walk up to Southsiders to take their new menu (Chef Darren?) for a test drive. Since I razzed Lisa in the comments of this post about her glowing review of Southsiders, it meant I, of course, would be practically required to order a cheeseburger.

For appetizer, we got the ultimate nachos, which we all found pretty tasty. My wife got a chicken Caesar salad (or something along those lines) that she really liked. I got a cheeseburger with American cheese, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, and mustard with the side of fries.

The fries were good; they reminded me of something you'd get at a state fair, The Potato Patch of Kennywood fame, or even those you might find at Great Steak & Potato Company in Carolina Place Mall. Or like my wife said, the kind of fries that work well with vinegar.

As for the burger, it was delicious. I ordered it medium and it was very juicy, almost a little too much so as it was soaking parts of my bun. But I ate the whole thing and nearly all of my fries. I spent a significant amount of time that evening lying on the living room floor explaining to all who weren't ignoring me how full I was.

The cheeseburger was definitely right up there with the Main Street Grill's cheeseburger if not ahead. Fortunately for me, I will have to try more before rendering my final verdict, but perhaps I should try Rippington's or the Stuffed Olive's burger before releasing my town rankings. Am I missing any other Waxhaw restaurants who serve burgers?

If I had a quibble with Southsiders, it would be the kids menu (which is not physically on the menu) as it only contained a PB&J, hot dog, and grilled cheese if I recall. I refuse to pay for a PB&J out of sheer principle, so that basically limited the kids to a hot dog or grilled cheese, the latter of which treads dangerously close to my 'never order' standards. Adding kids' classics such as chicken tenders or butter noodles would go a long way in winning over the younger folk -- if my kids are any barometer. For those curious, my kids ended up splitting the chicken & cheese quesadilla (appetizer) and a side of fries.

Forever Grateful: A Salute to America's Military Veterans

Just saw this on Facebook. Scott Farb, formerly of the Museum of the Waxhaws, and Ken Corn are organizing a salute to America's veterans at the Waxhaw American Legion Post on November 12th from 10am to 5pm. From the description:

This day-long event will feature uniforms from every war the American Soldier has taken part in, from the French and Indian War to modern day. Reenactors in uniforms from different periods will enhance your visit to the exhibit. Photographs, helmets, equipment, weapons and war trophies will also be on display. Children who attend will receive a free souvenir package to take home from the event. The event will also feature streaming video shot by local resident Ken Corn, who served as an embedded photojournalist in Iraq.

For more information, please contact event organizers Scott Farb or Ken Corn via Facebook message. THIS is a free event, and we hope to see you here!

This event is open to all and sounds like an excellent way to celebrate America's veterans locally.

Diller v. Thornton - Round 2?

Not necessarily Diller v. Thornton, but Diller v. Thornton supporter.

I mentioned Commissioner Brett Diller's letter to the editor earlier, but there was a follow-up from one of the accused sock puppets, Tramaine Williams, in Friday's Union County Weekly. Since I shared Brett's, I'll share Tramaine's.

Here it is:

Hello Mr. Diller;

I’d like to take this opportunity to clear up a few obvious misconceptions you have. Mr Diller, you emailed me on August 8, requesting that I meet you for coffee to discuss your whereabouts during NNO. I responded to you on August 10 and advised that while I appreciated your invitation, I have no interest in meeting you for a cup of coffee. I’m not entirely sure why you felt the need to repeat the invitation in a public forum, but I will not be provoked into a situation akin to “meeting you at the bicycle racks after school” so you can assuage whatever it is that brought on this little outburst of yours. I have a family to care for and a full time job, both of which require my time and attention more so than meeting you. I hope you can understand that they are my priority, not you.

When I responded to your email, I very clearly told you that I was not aware you were elsewhere volunteering your time that day, and commended you for doing so. I still do. As far as why I missed you at the event, Mr. Diller (and I really shouldn’t have to explain this), you are a town commissioner. As such, you are a public figure, and people recognize you. Even the ones you haven’t met or do not remember. So yes, I noticed that you weren’t there, as well as Mayor Gardner and Commissioner Kirkpatrick. As for you not knowing who I am, I’m not surprised. We don’t exactly run in the same circles, and you’ll have to pardon my assumption, but I’m positive you don’t remember every single person you have ever met in your lifetime. I know I certainly don’t. However, given that you don’t seem to recall that I responded to your email, it isn’t a stretch to think you don’t remember who I am.

While I do sincerely apologize for any offense you may have taken to my comment regarding your absence (and please remember, I already apologized to you for this in my email response to you), there seems to be more behind your words and actions. “Methinks he doth protest too much”? I’m also not entirely sure why you felt the need to note that I support Lisa Thornton for Mayor… possibly the two issues are related? Will you go on the offense against every single person who provides support for her in a public manner? Unless I’m mistaken, this is a free country and we are all entitled to Freedom of Speech — as such, I can voice my support for which ever mayoral candidate I choose.

I wish you all the best
Tramaine Williams
Waxhaw

There's yet another Waxhaw-related letter supporting Lisa Thornton for mayor there as well, so go check it out if you're interested.

One last question I have: how did Brett Diller get the email address for Tramaine Williams to personally extend the invitation for coffee?

Question on after school programs

I explained what a bleg is earlier this year, so here is another one. No one got back to me on the last one, so hopefully I have better luck this time around.

If anyone knows who to speak to about starting an after-school program in local Union County elementary schools (something similar to KidzArt), please drop me an email. I'm particularly curious if it has to be initiated at the county level or if schools would need to be approached on a one-by-one basis. Thanks in advance.

And don't worry as I won't be the one running the after-school program. Although now that I think about it, maybe I can finally cash in on this blogging thing by having a 'How to blog about Waxhaw' after-school program in the elementary schools. Any parents interested in something like this? If it helps, I promise in advance not to devote any time to moonshine.