Gregor Mecklenburg

An upcoming change (but don't stop visiting)

I'm sharing a sneak preview of my column running in this Sunday's paper:

After a year and a half spent meeting newcomers, hearing their stories and writing columns and blog entries to help them make sense of Charlotte, it’s time for me to move on.

After Monday’s column in the Your Week section (and WCNC report), I’ll be returning to the Observer as an editor – a longtime goal of mine. Many of my Observer colleagues will provide thrice-weekly fill-in columns while a full-time newcomer reporter is named – and I look forward to reading their advice on fun things to do, see and know about this region.

Between e-mails, phone calls and the times I’ve gone out and about, I’m guessing I’ve met several thousand newcomers by now. Here are a few things I’ve learned from the experience:

--The best way to get a newcomer talking: Start with food. You can fill them in on the subtleties of Eastern vs. Western barbecue, while they can introduce you to such terms as “white hots” and the kinds of pie that don’t involve fruit.

--A less popular way: Start with church. Seems folks from many other parts of the country aren’t as accustomed to talking publicly about their houses of worship as we are.

--The easiest way to start a spirited blog debate: Raise questions involving ways the South is different from other parts of the country, particularly the North. (The Civil War seems to be alive and well in cyberspace.). Or just use the term “Yankee.”

--Second-easiest: Write about driving habits, and debate which region of the country has better drivers.

--The No. 1 thing newcomers seek: Ways to make friends and connections in this community. Not so different from us longtimers, eh?

--The accents, food preferences, driving styles and cultures may be different, but underneath, we’re all in Charlotte for very similar reasons: We like the city’s beauty, its location between mountains and ocean, its usually balmy weather, its strong economy, its attractions and amenities. And most of all, its people.

Note the new e-mail address we’ll use to keep up with newcomer inquiries: newcomer@charlotteobserver.com. For at least a while longer, I plan to keep chatting with you guys on this blog. I hope you’ll drop in on the discussion from time to time and keep in touch.

And as you begin your New Year, don’t forget to resolve to keep exploring all the wonderful people, places and experiences this region has to offer.

What are some of your other New Year's resolutions? Please post them here.

Newcomers: Don't miss Civics 101

I hope everyone is having a great holiday week! I’m guessing most folks haven’t had time to read their Charlotte Observers faithfully every day, so I wanted to call your attention to an item my colleague Jim Morrill wrote for today’s paper about the next installment of Civics 101.

This is a great opportunity for newcomers to learn about local government. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters, it involves classes throughout February and March to learn more about the City Council, board of county commissioners, state courts, the school system and more. Click here to see Jim’s article, or try goleaguego.org.

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And now, a follow-up to my last entry and column on my difficulty in finding butter mints (click here to see the column and butter mint cookie recipe). I got some help from readers, but I didn’t get as many pointers as I thought I might – proving that this delicacy has fallen out of favor at mass retailers. One thing that did surprise me, though, is learning from readers that the candy is traditional further outside the South than I thought.

Here are some other spots you can find them (and I know you’ve still got room after all your holiday eating):

--From Sue Schall in Waxhaw: “Thought you should know you can get them at Cracker Barrel restaurant gift stores. I have enjoyed them for years. By the way I am a ‘transplant,’ Indiana born and bred, and I was raised on sweet tea, fried mush, grits, and anything you could make with buttermilk. My wedding 32 years ago featured the exact menu you described from a Southern wedding - cake, punch, nuts,and butter mints- but I was married on the far west side of Indianapolis, having never been south of the Ohio River in my life.”

--Margaret Hood writes: “Five years ago I found Mrs. Duncan's (Butter Mints) in the Presbyterian Hospital gift shop uptown. Now, Captain Steve's fish restaurant in Matthews on Monroe Road has Parson's Butter Mints (Homemade Style).”

--“Anonymous Yankee” writes: “I'm sorry to disappoint you, but butter mints are a Michigan tradition also. I grew up in the metro Detroit area, and every wedding or baby shower had butter mints. In Michigan, they also come in yellow. I remember as a child liking the creamy, buttery flavor. I believe that butter mints should not be called a ‘Southern’ classic, rather just a classic.”

In search of butter mints

In this Sunday’s paper, I’ll be writing about my recent quest to find butter mints in the stores of Charlotte.

They’re a formerly ubiquitous Southern tradition, usually found in glass bowls at weddings, bridge parties and other special occasions.

I decided to try a cookie recipe calling for crushed butter mints. The candies used to be pretty common around here, but after searching a half-dozen mass retailers, I discovered they’re more rare than I thought. (Harris Teeter and other stores had an alternative called “pastel mints” or “pillow mints,” but trust me, they’re no good without the butter).

I finally found them at Reid’s Fine Foods in uptown Charlotte, which is more of a specialty retailer than a full-service grocer.

I’m sure they’re available at other specialty stores, but it made me sad to think that a taste that reminds me of home has gotten so hard to find.

Read on Sunday if you’re interested in seeing the cookie recipe; meantime, please clue me in if you’ve found this delicacy anywhere else, and let me know if there are any other hard-to-find traditional foods you’ve been looking for, and maybe I can give you a tip or two.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Lesson learned: Always check out your handyman

This is a difficult blog entry for me to write.

It’s a story that reflects poorly on me, as some of my more feisty posters will no doubt quickly point out. It isn’t particularly newcomer-oriented, though newcomers are more likely to risk finding themselves in a similar situation. But it’s a story with a lesson that could help others avoid my mistake, so I’ve decided to share it.

I’m a homeowner who occasionally needs the help of an experienced handyman – I own no power tools, if that gives you an idea of my lack of skills. About six months ago, I had a fairly urgent need for help when my ceiling sprung a leak. There was a handyman in standing in my neighbor’s driveway that morning, taking a break from doing work on my neighbor’s garage, so I asked him if he could help me. He fixed the leak, and did a nice job.

After that, he painted my place, and changed some door hardware and light fixtures. Then came a backsplash in my kitchen. Though he was occasionally erratic about when he showed up, his work and his prices were good. I felt his experience with my neighbor was recommendation enough, so I never checked him out.

When I decided to renovate a bathroom – the biggest project yet – his bid came in much lower than the other contractors I talked to. So I gave him the job.

After two months – a full month longer than anticipated – and with the job still only half-done, my handyman and his helper buddies disappeared.

He left his key ring, with van keys and his housekey, in my home (apparently he left in a buddy’s car the last day he was there). He left all of his equipment in my bathroom – hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars’ worth of power tools, fully stocked toolboxes and more. And he disconnected his phone.

At first, I thought he was just being erratic as he had been before. But after a week with no word, I was seriously worried. I thought he might be in trouble, injured or dead. I had no other way to reach him. I checked area jails and hospitals and found no record. So, I talked with a police detective and he said it would be appropriate to file a missing persons report.

I did, and before I even returned to the Observer building, I received a call from the patrol officer who visited his last known address. His brother was there, and assured the officer my handyman was fine and not missing. And, someone in the rental office at his trailer park told the officer my handyman had a history of drug use and binges, and that a binge is the most likely explanation for his vanishing act.

There was more: I learned my handyman has a criminal record that includes an arson charge.

So, for nearly two months, I gave a substance abuser with a fairly long criminal history a key to my home and the freedom to come and go with his buddies while I was at work. I have access to Nexis here at the Observer; I could have checked his criminal record in 30 seconds, for free, and avoided ever being in this situation.

Needless to say, I feel extremely stupid. And incredibly lucky that nothing happened to me or to my home that can’t be fixed. Nothing has been stolen; in fact, if he never tries to claim his equipment, I may come out ahead on the deal. I’m changing the locks and, as usual, faithfully using my burglar alarm.

I’m hoping that by sharing this, others will remember to thoroughly check out anyone doing work inside their homes.

Here are some tips on how to do that, thanks to one of our librarians, Sara Klemmer:

The public can go to the courthouse in his/her county and do the searching on the computers there for free.

Also free: NC Dept of Correction: http://www.doc.state.nc.us/offenders/
Search by name or ID number for public information on inmates, probationers or parolees since 1972. This system allows users to view and download any/all public information from the Department of Correction database for convicted offenders. Also includes information on inmate releases and escapees.

These sites may charge for records:

People finder: http://www.peoplefinders.com/Search/Criminal/Default.htm

123nc.com: http://www.123nc.com/

Public Record Finder: http://www.publicrecordfinder.com/states/north_carolina.html

CrimeNC: http://www.crimenc.com/court.htm

Courtsearch:http://www.courtsearch.com/

If anyone else out there has some more commonsense safety tips to share, please feel free to post them here.

Do Northerners and Southerners decorate differently?

The North vs. South debate has reared its head in the pages of The Charlotte Observer once again – and this time, you can’t blame me.

It seems some contributors to the Observer’s “The Buzz” section on the editorial page feel there’s a difference in style of Christmas decorating between Northerners and Southerners. This debate has spilled over into our Letters to the Editor.

Apparently, multicolored blinking lights and multi-themed yard decorations are more common in Northeastern states, according to buzzers. I also recently heard a Northern transplant complaining Southerners “don’t really decorate for Christmas.” Today's Buzz had an interesting conjecture: "My theory: Southerners display white lights because it reminds us of snow. Northerners use colored lights because white lights don’t show well on snow."

From growing up here, I’ve found that certain houses go all-out, some don’t decorate at all, and most homes are middle-of-the-road, with a lighted tree peeping through a front window, a wreath on the door and perhaps some lighted candles in other windows or some icicle lights on a railing. Giant inflatable Santas and snowmen (and one Hannukah dreidl I’ve seen) are scattered around. Colored lights do seem less common than white lights.

On the few occasions I’ve traveled at Christmastime (which is rare because most of my family is here), I haven’t noticed a dramatic difference, so I’m hoping you guys will fill me in. If you’ve lived or traveled in the North, do you think there’s a difference in holiday decorating between the two regions? Or is this just a misperception by a few folks?

(And I’m sure I don’t even need to warn you to hold off on the name-calling, as those comments will quickly be deleted).

An ode to Charlotte's roads

Who was W.T. Harris? Where was Sardis? What’s the Community House?

Turns out, lots of folks out there want to know more about how Charlotte’s oft-confusing roads got their names.

After I wrote Sunday explaining four examples of the area’s more colorful road names (including the three above), I’ve received a flood of inquiries on other local road names, from Tom Short to Margaret Wallace. I’m in the process of researching some of the explanations, and I plan to follow up soon.

I can use your input. What other roads’ names are you wondering about? Or, do you know a colorful story behind a road name in your area? Please post here or e-mail me.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this poem composed by reader Richard Quadrini, who was inspired to write it from his own experiences trying to find his way around Charlotte's roads:

YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE
Went out one day to make my way with mind and body sound
Full tank of gas and map in hand, to the eastside I was bound
But roads were bent and streets changed names, Queens Road went round and round
Turned this way once, then back and forth, getting lost I came to fear
So I asked a cop if he would stop and show a way more clear,
He shook his head and said instead, “You can't get there from here!!”

A matchmaker for newcomers?

I might be able to add the title of "matchmaker" to my many job duties soon.

In many of my columns, I print mini-interviews with newcomers about why they moved here, and what insights about Charlotte they've gained, i.e. "Jane Smith, moved here from Providence, R.I. in September, living in Dilworth, recommends joining Young Affiliates of the Mint as a way to get to know the community."

Turns out, at least three times that I know of, someone has seen one of these interviews and tried to track the person down to ask for a date. (I never give out anyone's contact information, but if someone asks to get in touch with someone I've interviewed, I will pass a message along and give the subject the option of sending a reply).

I'm not aware of any of these cases leading to long-term success stories, but in general I salute the initiative of people who act on their interest (so long as their behavior does not graduate to the stalker-ish).

To me, it's another testament to the fact that family-friendly Charlotte can be difficult for singles looking to meet people. I've certainly heard from many people in this category since I started this job, and several of the articles in Living Here magazine were crafted with the goal of giving suggestions on how to meet people (click here and here to see some).

I'd love to know if anyone out there has any fun stories of how they found romance as a newcomer to Charlotte. Did you meet someone by joining a new group, or visiting a new place - or reaching out to someone you saw in the newspaper?

Local holiday traditions

It’s time once again to start exploring Carolinas holiday traditions, and I have several tidbits to share.

--First, here’s a little-known tidbit that I find fascinating as a native Charlottean. Turns out our city’s namesake, Queen Charlotte (1746-1818) is credited with having the first documented Christmas tree in England, at Windsor Lodge on Christmas 1800. “She actually re-introduced the custom of the Christmas tree to Britain from Germany following the Puritan regime which had banned Christmas altogether,” wrote Marion Redd, who commissioned Queen Charlotte ornaments several years ago.

A limited supply of the German-made glass ornaments are still available through the Mecklenburg Historic Association, as I wrote in Sunday’s article.

--Next, another follow-up to that article: I left out the Mint Museums, which have sold Queen Charlotte and Queen Charlotte Crown ornaments for over 17 years. The brass ornaments, $15 each, come with information sheets and have been longtime year-round bestsellers. They’re available at both museums: the Mint Museum of Art at 2730 Randolph Road, 704-337-2037, and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, 704-337-2061.

--And finally, when I wrote Monday about Charlotte’s longstanding Singing Christmas Tree tradition from Carolina Voices (a personal favorite of mine), I learned there’s another act in town.

A reader notified me of the third annual South Charlotte Singing Christmas Tree, performing this weekend (Dec. 7-9, 7 p.m.) at Pineville’s Stough Memorial Baptist Church, 705 Lakeview Drive. Tickets are $10. More information is at www.stough.org.

What other local holiday traditions are you curious about? Let me know.

Please share your Thanksgiving traditions

What are your Thanksgiving traditions?

When I was interviewing newcomers for today's story about people who clear out of Charlotte to celebrate Thanksgiving "back home," one told me that her Virginia family always gathers for a "big Southern Thanksgiving."

I started thinking about what that means. Most likely, the side dishes include macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top and stuffing made with cornbread. (It was relatively late in my life that I learned people in some parts of the country actually make stuffing with oysters - shudder.) But as far as the nature of the gathering - extended family, all in one place to share in good cheer - I don't think it makes much difference what part of the country you're in.

I grew up in Charlotte, and my family's traditions hail from a combination of the Midwest (Dad grew up in Chicago) and Texas (Mom's from Lubbock). Some of our quirks include an occasionally appearing green jello dish made with cottage cheese and crushed pineapple, and pumpkin pie which I usually serve with Cool Whip (just as good as the real stuff to me, and a lot easier). We usually stress over who's going to make the gravy, because nobody feels confident about it.

Now I'd like to hear some of your family Thanksgiving quirks - and please specify where you grew up. There are probably commonplace dishes and traditions in other parts of the country that I - and fellow Southerners - haven't heard of. And everyone out there, please have a happy and safe holiday!

Is Charlotte less safe than other cities?

I am so accustomed to talking with newcomers who are thrilled to be in Charlotte that my recent conversation with a Manhattan transplant shocked me.

“I have felt more unsafe here than anywhere I’ve ever lived,” she said. “I think Charlotte has a dark underbelly that not many people talk about.”

The conversation was triggered by discussion of the mysterious case of Kyle Fleischmann, who left an uptown bar alone, without any money, and vanished. His story has resonated because most people I know have a story involving drinking a little too much and losing track of one or two of the friends we went out with. His disappearance has many of us imagining the worst.

There are other reasons my friend feels unsafe. A frightening spate of random robberies has been making news. Women walking alone uptown or in center-city neighborhoods are often bothered by aggressive panhandlers. Crime rates have seesawed here.

But this is my home, and I have always felt fundamentally safe, so long as I took common-sense precautions. I don’t walk alone at night unless I’m in a well-lit, highly-populated area. I use my burglar alarm consistently. I always make sure my cell phone is charged before I go out and I make sure someone knows where I am.

Charlotte isn’t much more dangerous than similar-sized cities. Most violent crimes here, as with most other places, occur between people who know each other. The crime I am most likely to become a victim of is a car break-in. (Please, don’t leave stuff out visibly in your car!)

I also believe that as far as the center city goes, things will get much better – and soon. As each new condo tower opens, it sends a new batch of people out to walk the streets at all hours. So the chances of finding yourself in a frightening situation will diminish.

Last night I was at the Police concert. It was a thrilling feeling to be among the 15,000 people leaving Bobcats Arena all at once – all pumped up from a great show, filling uptown streets. Many of us poured into nearby bars and restaurants – I ended up at Brixx – for a post-show snack and drink.

This scene is repeated anytime there’s a big show at the arena, but I’m hoping that our uptown is developing enough that those kinds of crowds will be commonplace whether or not a special event has brought them there.

Transplants, do you agree with my friend or do you feel safer here than other places? What can be done to improve Charlotte’s sense of safety?

Light-rail etiquette tips?

OK, you Charlotte-area transplants from other cities with rail systems: I need your input.

The light-rail line through south Charlotte opens the weekend after Thanksgiving. There’s a group of Charlotteans out there who may be setting foot on a light-rail train for the first time. Given the volume of complaints I hear about Charlotte drivers, I imagine there will be a fair number of complaints about rail-riding etiquette.

For those with rail-riding experience, what are your tips? Hopefully most people will know the basics like “let everyone who’s getting off the train out before you try to go in the doors” and “for Pete’s sake, be careful when you’ve got your iPod on full blast.” But perhaps there are more subtle tips you can offer for avoiding annoying your fellow passengers and getting the most trouble-free ride possible.

(And for all you haters out there, this entry is not a referendum on the merits of light rail – you got your chance to weigh in on that during last week’s election. And it’s not a referendum on the merits of Charlotte, either. Please keep your comments on topic).

Personally, I’ve ridden trains in Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, Portland, London and Frankfurt. Each city's system had its own quirks. I’m eager to learn what Charlotte’s quirks will be, and how people will navigate them. In the meantime, I look forward to hearing your advice – and I hope to write an article for the paper, so e-mail me if you’re willing to be quoted by name!

Taken any good road trips lately?

We live in a great place for road trips, and this past weekend brought me ample opportunity to be reminded of that.

First, I headed to Durham – home of my alma mater, Duke – for an event for alumni of the university’s student newspaper. The highway was filled with cars displaying flags for the ACC football teams playing on Saturday, including UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. State (my beloved Blue Devils have never been a football powerhouse, alas).

The afternoon was so crisp and clear, I envied those who got to spend it outside watching football. Newcomers should put road-tripping to one of our ACC schools for a football or basketball game on their to-do lists.

From there, I headed west on I-40 to the Asheville area, which was hosting the city’s annual film festival. Perhaps I had the drought to thank for the brilliant red-and-gold leaf display along the way, unusually bright for mid-November.

The fest has a tradition of honoring a film actor each year, and this year’s guest was Tess Harper, star of “Crimes of the Heart,” “Tender Mercies” and the N.C.-filmed “Loggerheads.” North Carolinian actors Andie MacDowell and Robby Benson also made appearances. I caught two pretty good flicks, a documentary about Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal (“I Have Never Forgotten You”) and a feature about illegal immigration (“Under the Same Moon”). As always, I appreciated the chance to bypass typical popcorn fare for some thought-provoking movies I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to see.

I’m glad to see Charlotte nurturing its own fledgling film festival scene, and I’d love to see the local Charlotte and/or Cackalacky film festivals follow suit with bringing in a headlining actor and/or director to highlight, which would help boost the festivals’ profiles and ticket sales.

In the meantime, I’m grateful I live in a state that has several enjoyable film festivals, along with a lot of other great attractions, just an easy interstate drive away.

Need your input: Transit tax, and Thanksgiving plans

Did newcomers make the difference in the vote to keep Mecklenburg's transit tax?

They certainly had the power to, as I previously reported. A majority of Mecklenburg's voters registered after the transit tax was first approved in 1998. The half-cent sales tax has paid for expanding bus service and starting a light-rail system.

I heard from colleagues who were out interviewing voters on Tuesday. Many voters who moved here from areas where rail systems are prevalent said they favored keeping the tax. In the Northeast, for example, paying to maintain a rail system is routine for many residents, and New York is the No. 1 state of origin for this region's transplants.

I'm interested in talking with transplants who voted on the transit tax. Please e-mail me with your contact information, and let me know where you moved from and when, and why you voted the way you did.

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I'm also looking for transplants willing to talk about their Thanksgiving plans. Are you leaving Charlotte to go "back home" for Thanksgiving, or are you staying because Charlotte is "home" now? If you're willing to be interviewed for a Thanksgiving article, you know the drill: E-mail me with contact information, where you moved from and when.

Newcomers: How do you decide how to vote?

Does the length of time you’ve lived in this area influence how you’ll vote on local issues? Should it?

I pondered this while working on today’s article reporting the fact that more than half of Mecklenburg County’s voters – 51 percent – are people who registered after 1998. The bulk of them moved here from other counties or states.

That’s significant because 1998 is the year Mecklenburg voters first approved a half-cent sales tax to pay for mass transit, and one result of that tax – the south Charlotte light-rail line – is set to open in November.

Tomorrow’s ballot includes a measure to repeal that half-cent sales tax, which could potentially force city leaders to radically alter transportation policy. I found it interesting that, depending on turnout, the vote could rest entirely in the hands of relative newcomers who have no memories of the initial debate that led to Charlotte’s light-rail transit plan.

In my article, experts say there’s no telling how these transplants will lean. Some moved from cities where they’re accustomed to light rail. But newcomers in general are less likely to vote on local issues.

Tomorrow’s ballot includes several other key local issues, including a school bond and races for mayor and city council.

So, I’m interested in hearing from newcomers in particular – if you plan to vote tomorrow, or you’ve early-voted, what factors do you use to evaluate your vote when you’re new to the community?

Follow-up: Halloween ghost tour

When it’s a dark Halloween night at one of Mecklenburg County’s oldest surviving properties, everything takes on a certain spookiness.

A breeze through trees sounds like whispering. A cat pouncing in dry leaves causes a start. Darkened windows at Historic Rosedale plantation, built in 1815, convey a feeling that perhaps someone inside is watching.

After writing about local ghost stories, I couldn’t resist attending Rosedale’s Halloween ghost tour last night. I’d heard that Rosedale has a reputation among Charlotte’s historic community as one of the most haunted properties in the region – and executive director Deborah Hunter shared many tales of eerie happenings with me and about 20 other attendees.

The house was occupied by descendants of its original family until 1986. “A lot of their spirits still linger here,” Hunter told the group. “There is a lot of family energy in this house.”

In its plantation days, Rosedale was home to 24 enslaved people. One was a root healer named Cherry, whose plantings of arrowroot and other herbs remain in the woods. She was a nursemaid for many of the plantation’s children, and “she is still here,” Hunter said.

About once a month, Hunter and education director Camille Smith smell smoke outside their offices in the house – which smells exactly like the rabbit tobacco Cherry used to smoke. When they first noticed it, they called the Charlotte Fire Department – and only two of the firefighters could smell it. No cause was identified. Now, they accept the occurrences as part of working in the house.

A small cabinet is built into a post on the back porch. It’s not easy to tug open, but many mornings, workers arrive to find it popped open. One of the home’s servants used to keep shaving equipment for a disabled homeowner there; observers assume the servant periodically visits to give his master a shave. “We do have a raccoon out here, but he does not have a crowbar,” Hunter said.

Sometimes, Rosedale employees, volunteers and board members lead nighttime tours with “intuitives,” or psychics. Many have picked up on impressions of former residents of the house. Everyone – intuitive or not – feels sadness and gets headaches when visiting the top floor of the house, where it is believed a former tutor experienced much personal misery about her reduced economic circumstances, and may have punished her pupils by locking them in a closet.

Hunter once saw a ghostly arm cross a doorway in front of her in the house. Recently on a nighttime tour, she felt a tug on her sleeve while nobody was standing nearby – an intuitive told her it was the spirit of a child. Neither incident has fazed her.

“I think we have multiple people that visit and look after us and look after the house,” Hunter said.

Many presences, both happy and sad, have been detected in the kitchen in the house’s basement. That’s where Cherry is believed to reside. Last night it was difficult to detect anything spooky with 20 other people crowded into the brightly lit room, but I did get the sense I was in a room where much activity had occurred over many years.

And there was one strange thing: Bundles of dried herbs hang from the ceiling in one corner. They aren’t near any obvious drafts, and yet one bundle of rosemary – apart from all the others – rotated slowly in a circle while I stood nearby.