Things are busy in Davidson from complete gridlock on Main Street due to street markings to new trash and recycling containers distributed about town. Today Around Davidson took note of the colors in our community from red and black bins to yellow ribbons. We also wandered around the Health and Wellness Fair at The Pines learning a bit about salsa dancing and chicken bacon before hearing about travels in Japan from resident Nyra Brannan.
Brand new and waiting for distribution for Davidson recycling
SEEING RED
Interesting to see the bright red recycling bins sprouting up all over Davidson. These Republic Services, Inc., bins actually say “Town of Davidson” on them as do the new black trash bins. A recent photo on DavidsonNews.net caught the old dark brown bins put out to pasture in the staging area on Bailey Road. Around Davidson caught stacks of the new red bins awaiting delivery. Now we have to remember which bin on which day… Looks like next Thursday, October 4, will be the day to put both red and black at the curb and then remember black every week and red every other week. Got that? We ought to have it straight by Christmas.
Welcome Home, Dick Cook!
SEEING YELLOW
What a wonderful sight to see the baseball decorated yellow ribbon “’round the old oak tree” on Concord Road signaling the return of Dick Cook from the hospital. A long recovery awaits Davidson College’s baseball coach following an Interstate accident when Dick’s van was rear ended by an intoxicated driver, but we are confident he will be back on his feet in time for baseball season. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Dick.
A packed Davidson Room for The Pines’ Annual Health and Wellness Fair
HEALTHY AND FIT IN RETIREMENT
Great fun to visit The Pines and have people ask you what apartment you live in! With a smile you mention that you just live down the road and quietly wonder if you really look that old! But undeterred, your intrepid reporter showed up anyway to cover the Annual Health and Wellness Fair. Local “vendors” set up tables and encourage you to consider home health care, good nutrition, all kinds of therapy, dental check-ups and even ballroom dancing.
Courtney Spear and her son, Beck, were promoting the Farmer’s Market
Held yesterday in the Davidson Room of The Pines, it was great fun to visit with regulars Mary Martin, Wellness Instructor for independent living residents and Ann Marie MacDonald, therapist for Health Care residents. Courtney Spear, Market Manager, was promoting Davidson’s Farmer’s Market with the help of her four year old son, Beck. (Beck was having a great time learning about nutrition with plentiful offerings from US Foods and General Mills Food Services.) Davidson resident Martha Batts was teaching about the benefits of The Avalon Effect of light therapy for relief, relaxation and rejuvenation (www.TheAvalonEffect.com). This therapy can be used by you, your family and your pet.
J.R. Hipsky and Jubelin Ramirez showed their Latin dance moves
Following light therapy, one could learn about a new product, chicken bacon, and then sample healthy foods (with samplings of sweet potatoes, stewed apples and chicken chunks). An entertaining stop was the ballroom dancing display where you learned that the Havana Social Club and Ballroom is now located in the former Palace Theatre in Cornelius’ Kenton Square (www.havanasc.com). This banquet/ballroom facility has rooms for private parties, receptions and corporate meetings in addition to ballroom dancing lessons, shows and competitions. Instructors Jubelin Ramirez and J.R. Hipsky will soon be offering a group lesson at The Pines and are hoping that many will sign up for lessons at their studio.
Always something interesting going on at The Pines. Retirement for residents means keeping busy 24/7.
With Timothe’s busy schedule, it was special to find time to share a meal
JAPAN WELCOMES NYRA
Nyra Brannan has lived at The Pines for some years now. She is well known in the community for her love of theater. Whether performing on the stage or encouraging young people, theater is in her blood. She hosted an aspiring young actor/singer/dancer named Timothe Bittle last summer when he performed the lead in “Ragtime” produced by the Davidson Community Players. Nyra takes great pride in keeping up with “her kids” as she calls them who have performed with her in theater. When Timothe moved on from Davidson to New York to try his luck, he soon landed a 13 month contract with Universal Studios/Japan to perform in a rock ‘n roll monster show beginning this past February.
Nyra counted her frequent flyer miles, booked flights and a hotel room in Osaka and four weeks ago was on her way to Japan. Only her third time outside the USA, Nyra flew Charlotte-San Francisco-Osaka and spent two wonderful weeks seeing Timothe perform, meeting his friends, and touring the area around Osaka. The weather was very hot while she was in Japan but she had planned ahead by packing a fan and cooling “sweat rag.” A Japanese friend of Timothe’s was a great help to Nyra in navigating the city, traveling to Kyoto for a day, and seeing the sights.
After 50 minutes of applying make-up, Timothe is ready to be Frankenstein!
Timothe appears in numerous shows and parades for Universal Studios/Japan and stays busy all the time. The monster rock ‘n roll show in which he plays Frankenstein is the most popular show in the theme park (and perhaps we should add that it takes place in the only air conditioned venue). Timothe has a small studio apartment adjacent to the theme park in a building housing aspiring talented young people from all over the world. What a great spot for networking! Timothe is saving as much money as he can so that when his contract is over in March 2013, he can return to Randleman, NC, to visit family briefly before heading once more to NYC for auditions. He will appear in “Showboat” next May and June in the theater in Wytheville, VA, and hopes next summer to be performing in New York City.
Nyra loved meeting groups of visiting school children at Universal Studios/Japan
Special highlights from Nyra’s days in Osaka would have to be the very different Japanese dishes she tried, her two evenings just visiting one on one with Timothe over dinner and her chance to meet delightful young actors from all over the globe. How lucky so many of them are to have an “Aunt Eller” (Nyra’s most recent role in “Oklahoma”) keeping up with them and rejoicing in their successes.
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Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbbarger@gmail.com.
