The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is upon us!  Thus far things are running smoothly for Charlotte and surrounding areas.  The Labor Day holiday certainly helps, with fewer people at work, and we know that many who work in downtown Charlotte will work from home.  Exciting times for our area.

Around Davidson visits today with Natasha Rath Marcus who has tickets for President Obama’s speech this week and looks in on Skipper Brake, who had a BIG birthday.  We also take time to talk to Michael Flake and hear about his You Tube video.  Our Noteworthy Note includes a wonderful end of summer photo!

With credentials in hand, Natasha Rath Marcus is ready to hear President Obama this Thursday.

ONE PHONE CALL AT A TIME

Yes, we have each received at least one political phone call in the past month.  Some of them may be coming from groups organized by Natasha Rath Marcus.  Natasha is a Neighborhood Team Leader for the Obama re-election campaign.  This McConnell resident is a busy wife, mother and tireless coordinator for the campaign in Davidson and Cornelius.  These neighbor groups are found all over North Carolina with the goal of doing “a little every day.” (See our Aug. 24 Election page story, “Area Obama supporters work the phones and streets”)

In recent weeks, volunteers who have been manning the phone banks each earned a ticket to Bank of America Stadium this Thursday, Sept. 6, if they completed nine hours of calling spread over three shifts.  We know that there are a number of Davidson residents who will be in the stadium on Thursday and we’ll be sure to look for Natasha and her family on TV.  It will be quite an evening!  Let’s hope for good weather.

Happy Birthday, Skipper Brake, who poses with his wife, Kelley

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SKIPPER

There were balloons and a sign that read, “Skipper is 40!”  So indeed, Around Davidson stopped to wish this “young man” a Happy Birthday!  Skipper Brake, his wife, Kelley, and their two sons, Cooper (7) and Eli (3) live in the former Westmoreland home in the Westmoreland Farm neighborhood just off Davidson-Concord Road.  Skipper, an ASU grad, has enjoyed his special day, Sept. 1, for the past two weekends.  Good friends from his college days have been in town to wish him well so he is well feted as he begins his fifth decade.

The Brake family has lived in Davidson for 10 years.  Before moving to Westmoreland Farm three and one half years ago, they lived in town on Catawba Avenue (now the home of Mike Kessler and his family).  Skipper is a vice president at Aquesta Bank while Kelley, a UNC-Wilmington grad, works for Chubb Insurance doing marketing for North and South Carolina.

Best wishes to you, Skipper!

The Community Garden motto is featured in a You Tube video with Michael Flake.

MICHAEL FLAKE and YOU TUBE

Before you read any further, you might want to check out this video by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4AJymgOyBU.  This video came from Georgia Krueger of Ada Jenkins whose Food Pantry receives wonderful produce from The Community Garden.  She wanted to share it with residents interested in the garden and to introduce a local pastor, Michael Flake, who took to heart the garden’s motto, “Tend Some, Take Some, Share a Lot.”

Watching the video was a perfect segue to calling Pastor Flake to learn more about his ministry in our area.  Thirty-seven years ago when your correspondent moved to Davidson, choices for churches were like schools.  Limited.  Unless you were willing to drive miles, your children attended Davidson Elementary and your Sunday worship was at the Davidson College Presbyterian Church or Davidson United Methodist Church.  My, how times have changed.

Michael Flake is the pastor of Lake Forest Church/Davidson campus.

Pastor Flake leads Lake Forest Church Davidson, a one-year-old congregation adding to the many choices our residents now have for worship.  This growing congregation meets in the gymnasium of the Davidson Elementary School with Sunday School groups in the cafeteria and hallways.  Michael smiled when he mentioned that the end of South Street is a “Holy Corner” with his Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) next door to the Davidson Society of Friends Meeting House and just a few feet from the Temple Kol Tikvah (in the former Calvary Church space).

Newlyweds, Michael and Mandi Flake, enjoyed a ski trip this past winter following their February 2012 marriage.

Michael, who grew up in Memphis, is a Davidson grad (’06) and math major.  While at Davidson, he attended Lake Forest Church which was then meeting in the Lake Norman YMCA.  He continued his education at Vanderbilt Divinity School, returned to Lake Forest Church as Mission Director, was ordained in 2010 and started Lake Forest Davidson Campus in August 2011.  Lake Forest feels that reaching out into other communities is more satisfactory than enlarging their current Huntersville campus.

Before starting a church in Davidson, Michael walked the streets of our town to get to know us better and stumbled on The Community Garden.  Its motto is what Lake Forest is all about:  the importance of giving and sharing what we have – materially or spiritually – and reaching out to others.  Sunday services are at 9:30 and 11 a.m.  Lake Forest Davidson has 250-300 worshippers each Sunday.  To learn more, go to lakeforest.org/discover/Davidson or “lakeforestchurch.org.”

This energetic young man married Mandi Grimes last February.  Mandi is a graduate of Wheaton College who worked earlier for Bank of America on their Intelligence Team but decided to give up the long hours and have weekends free.  She now works for Crown Trophy in Cornelius.  Michael is a regular at Summit Coffee so look for him next time you are getting a cup of Joe and tell him you saw him on You Tube.  We are glad to know a bit more about Michael, Mandi and Lake Forest Davidson.

Ah, therapy – the backyard variety. A perfect solution to a hot, humid day!

NOTEWORTHY NOTE

Ah, summer is over and the pools are closing.  One family in town, however, has found a way to beat the heat and cool off in a backyard Therapy Pool.  Not sure just what that is but the photo is “worth a thousand words.”  Utter bliss!  More will follow on this lady with those “sexy” legs!

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Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbbarger@gmail.com.