Can you hear the collective sigh of relief from parents as children are back at their school desks for the 2012-2013 year? Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are anticipating more than 140,000 students. Lots of children crossing streets, boarding buses and riding bicycles which serve as a reminder to us all to be extra careful when we are behind the wheel.
Today Around Davidson reports on a visit with David Wilgus. There is also news of Emmily Cowie’s recent trip to England. A few Noteworthy Notes are added as well.
Emmily Cowie loved her Welcome Home banner.
FOOTBALL IN ENGLAND
The banner hanging from the Cowie home in McConnell was big and bright. It read: Welcome Home, Emmily with a colorful spot featuring the Union Jack. Emmily, daughter of Tim and Gwen Cowie traveled to England with the U16 North Mecklenburg Soccer Club (NMSC) girls’ team. The NMSC U16 boys’ team traveled with them as well. The group of 18 girls and 18 boys plus coaches, administrators and parent chaperones made for a lively group when they arrived in Chelsea where they were “headquartered.” It was a wonderful experience for both teams as they trained, played competitive matches and experienced the great London area with emphasis on the Brits football – which is soccer of course to us in the USA.
This large group of U16 (under 16 years of age) stayed in Cobham, went to the Community Shield match with Chelsea playing Manchester City @ Aston Villa as well as the English Premier League (EPL) opener with Fulham and Norwich (current coach was a former Norwich player-identified by some fans). The group also enjoyed sight-seeing, karaoke night, playing three games for each team, and having training sessions with Chelsea coaches. Want to know more? Be sure to visit the “Expedition Chelsea 2012” facebook page that was maintained throughout the trip. It has wonderful pictures of the girls and boys teams as well as some small write-ups on the trip.
Lots of fund raising during this past year made the trip possible for these young athletes. What a grand opportunity. Emmily Cowie at age 14 is a busy, busy young lady. A sophomore at Hough High School, she is a member of the state and national champion Hough High School women’s soccer team and also finds time to play varsity volleyball and basketball at Hough. Her participation in the NMSC is in addition to these other sports. Phew! What a schedule!
(And an interesting note: NMSC Boys’ coach Bobby Rosario is a former player for the Norwich (England) team and was interviewed while attending the Fulham vs. Norwich pro game with the NC youth. The interview is available on the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xkq07)
The Wilgus Playhouse has delighted children for decades
A LITTLE FREE LIBRARY and A WELL SHOD SHED
Bet some of our readers will remember the network news stories last spring about “little free libraries.” (Little Free Library is a program whose purpose is to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide.) Boo Hess thought this would be a wonderful idea for her Lorimer neighborhood and asked neighbor Dave Wilgus to make one.
How to describe Dave Wilgus? Independent thinker? Creative woodworker? Exceptional artist who works only in colored pencil? All round nice guy? Certainly all the above and Dave put all these talents to work on a “little free library” – but it got a little bigger than would fit conveniently on a post so now it elegantly rests on a wheeled wagon in Dave’s backyard. The idea was to construct a classic library building in a small size which would promote reading by having neighborhood readers leave books for others to enjoy hoping people would take a book and donate another to that spot. The roof of Dave’s “free library” is fashioned from Habitat’s left over siding and resembles pages of a book. The cedar wood used in the construction comes from pieces of raised garden beds when Country Gardens Magazine came to call.
Dave Wilgus’ “Little Free Library” would love a good home!
Wow! How providential that Around Davidson was so slow getting to interview Dave about his “little free library” that this interview could include the Wilgus playhouse on the cover of Country Gardens Magazine in their Fall (August) 2012 issue. The playhouse in the side yard of their Woodland Street home made the cover of the magazine and on the inside pages, one reads a wonderful story about Dave and his wife, Robin, and the playhouse beginning on page 42. The playhouse was built in 1993 when the Wilgus children, Drew and Dinah were eight and four respectively. (Dinah now works for Wells Fargo in Raleigh and Drew, an architect, and his wife, Brennan, also live in Raleigh and are expecting a baby boy on October 5.) It will soon be time for Grandpa Dave to introduce a new generation to the playhouse.
The August 2012 issue of Country Gardens Magazine features a cover story on Dave and Robin Wilgus’ playhouse – turned garden shed!
Country Gardens Magazine spotted the playhouse last year, brought in all the raised beds, plants, pumpkins and obelisks, did the photo shoot last September 2011 and left. Dave has incorporated the obelisks into his yard, set aside other pieces and used some of the cedar in his “little (big) free library.”
Dave would love for the little free library to have a home somewhere in town where it would be well used and well loved. Any suggestions? Email Around Davidson at hbbarger@gmail.com or speak to Dave next time you see him sitting on his front porch of what was originally the Fulcher home built in 1925 and occupied by the Wilguses since 1987.
NOTEWORTHY NOTES
Kelly Nicholson presents Hugh Barger with his new Nook.
FROM BOOK TO NOOK
Remember the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library’s adult summer reading club called “Between the Covers?” One had to log in hours spent reading from June 12 through August 10. Readers who completed the necessary requirements were entered into a drawing for prizes of all kinds.
Beverly Swanson of our Davidson public library is pleased to announce that teen Spencer Barnes won a gift card to Best Buy, Pat Jacobs won theater tickets and Hugh Barger won a Nook (won’t Steiffie be excited to have Farmer B. read cow stories aloud to him from the new “gadget!).
NOVEL NEWS
Remember that October is National Reading Group Month. Davidson Book Clubs are getting ready to meet early in September and should include two events on their fall calendars. Thursday, October 18, is the Annual Fall Tea for all Davidson Book Club members and guests. This program will be held at The Pines with Margo Williams and Jon Guttman reading from their recently published book, “Madame President.”
A few days later on Sunday, October 21, Main Street Books is planning an afternoon tea to meet Debra Dean, author of “The Madonnas of Leningrad” and most recently, “The Mirrored World.” Interesting events to attend in October.
SEND US YOUR NEWS
Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbbarger@gmail.com.
