Savoring a Carrboro Fourth of July Citizen Wins Awards
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This Weekend FRIDAY Water Watch Returns Partly Cloudy 88/65 S ATURDAY Partly Cloudy 92/70 S UNDAY 20% chance of rain 97/70 See page 8 carrborocitizen.com JULY 9, 2009 u LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED u VOLUME III NO. XVII FREE Karen language has found new home Election filings slow in first week BY KIRk Ross Staff Writer Carrboro Board of Aldermen members Jacquie Gist and Ran- dee Haven-O’Donnell joined newcomer Sammy Slade on the list of candidates for three seats up in this year’s election. But that’s the only race to have at least one candidate per available office, as filing for elections in mu- nicipal and school board races got off to a slow start. PHOTO BY DAVE OTTO Gist is serving her fifth term Frances Shetley, holding a purple coneflower, on the board and O’Donnell is cherishes the sea of Queen Anne’s lace finishing up her first. Incumbent surrounding her. John Herrera opted not to seek re- election. No one has signed on to the FLORA BY KEN MOORE Carrboro mayor’s race, although incumbent Mark Chilton is ex- pected to run again. Immersion in the phOTO by AVA BARLOW In Chapel Hill, only Augustus Christine Wai, left, and Flicka Bateman review a Karen language lesson, working on pronunciation, at Bateman’s home in Chapel Cho has made the official trip to nature of our Hill. Bateman got to know Wai when they were neighbors, and now Wai teaches Karen to several students. Hillsborough to file for the mayor’s communities race. He is expected to be joined BY BETH MECHUM “We got asked because there is Hospitals and a former member of on the ballot by council members arrboro’s own Frances Staff Writer a Karen community here and it’s a the Chapel Hill Town Council, tu- Mark Kleinschmidt and Matt Cza- Shetley is always smiling language that we’ve never taught,” tored Christine and her siblings and jkowski, who publicly announced about special features Speaking the Karen language is CHICLE’s program director Miriam has been helping other Karen im- their intentions last month. of our community. often prohibited in Myanmar, for- Palacio says. “With all the people call- migrants do everything from filling So far, Penny Rich is the only Recently, she was im- merly Burma, and in the refugee ing, there was an obvious interest, and out job applications and applying for candidate to file for Chapel Hill camps in Thailand where many na- there is even a waiting list.” food stamps and has acted as a liaison Town Council. Cmersed in the Queen Anne’s tive Karen speakers are forced to live. Palacio said CHICLE chose to keep to the greater Carrboro community. In Hillsborough races, Mayor lace flowering at the entrance But the language now has found a this first class small because the instruc- Bateman helped a Karen man Tom Stevens has filed to run for a to the bikeway, named in her home in Carrboro. tor was a first-time and languages are who got in a misunderstanding at a second term and councilor Mike honor, through the woods behind Karen and Burmese immigrants learned better in small groups. local grocery store and another who Gering, a two-term member of the Carrboro Elementary School. A have been steadily moving to Carr- The first round of classes — four didn’t realize he had to have a fishing town board, has filed to run again. decade ago, Frances envisioned a boro (with the biggest growth coming meetings of an hour and a half each permit to fish at Jordan Lake. So far, two candidates have corridor of wildflowers and native in the last five years) to avoid being — ended last week and there are al- Bateman emphasizes that rules filed to run for three seats on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City grasses for birds and butterflies persecuted because of their status as ready talks of adding more classes are hard to follow when it’s impos- ethnic minorities in their homeland with higher levels. sible to read signs. Schools Board of Education. along that woodland corridor be- Carrboro is a place where while Wai now works in a research lab at Michelle Brownstein, a health tween Shelton Street and North they’re free to speak their native tongue, Student becomes teacher the UNC School of Medicine. Bate- columnist and former surgeon Greensboro Street/Estes Drive almost no one can speak it back. Christine Wai and her family arrived man suggested her as a possible teacher with four children in the district’s intersection. Members of the That is, until recently. In an effort in the area nine years ago from a Thai candidate for the Karen language class. schools, filed Monday. She was Carrboro Community Garden to help break down this language refugee camp and knew no English. And while Wai has no formal teaching joined in the race Wednesday by Club, of which Frances is a found- barrier, the Chapel Hill Institute for Flicka Bateman, a neighbor, knew no training and has tutored only in math Gary Wallach, who ran unsuc- ing member, took up that call and Cultural and Language Education Karen (pronounced kah-RIN), but the and science, she said she couldn’t turn cessfully for the board in 2007. (CHICLE) decided to offer a short two have formed a lasting bond. this opportunity down. have been quietly managing that introductory course in the Sgaw Through the years, Bateman, prin- corridor, with support from Car- strain of the Karen language. cipal of the Hospital School at UNC SEE LANGUAGE PAGE 7 SEE ELECTION PAGE 3 rboro Public Works, ever since. Wild columbine flowering in the spring, common milkweed in summer and goldenrods and Savoring a Carrboro Fourth of July asters in the fall, along with other RECENTLY . of arrivals and departures at the base species native to Orange County, BY VALARIE SchwARTZ of the spring that feeds Bolin Creek. were planted as seedlings by club This was my latest arrival to the members 10 years ago. Some of As has become a Fourth of July breakfast, following another com- those original plants are still there tradition, last Saturday included a munity event, Le Tour de Carrboro as specimen perennials, like wild- trip out to Bolin Brook Farm in the Four on the Fourth race. My running Calvander community, where the days are behind me, but most of my blue indigo; others, including col- Earnhardt family has for many years volunteer efforts these days go to the umbine, spiderworts and Black- hosted a blueberry pancake breakfast Orange County Rape Crisis Center, eyed Susans, have moved around for friends and neighbors. which is one of four local nonprofits, on their own; and still others, like The mood seemed more subdued along with Arc of Orange County, El American poke, evening primrose than previous years, as is only natural Centro Latino and Optimist Club of and common blackberry, have given that this was the first breakfast Chapel Hill, that have been named volunteered onto the site, wel- without our beloved host, John Earn- 2009 Community Partners of the Cardinal Track Club that promotes come additions from nature. hardt, who died last October, and perennial ukulele-plucking minstrel, running and fitness by putting on phOTO by JON VAN ARK The volunteers who help main- Roland Giduz, as well as longtime races throughout the year. Earning Runners take off at the starting line near McDougle Middle School for Le Tour de tain the site are not your typical farming neighbors, Lewis and Everett the partnership means supplying vol- Carrboro Four on the Fouth race. garden club members managing Cheek of Lemola Dairy and Everett unteers for the races. a clearly defined flower garden. Blackwood, whom Jean Earnhardt re- So, arriving at McDougle Middle check-in, it was determined that I corner of Carol and James streets with These folks are faced with extract- ferred to as “the sage of Calvander.” School at 7:20 a.m. wondering what would be among those deposited at instructions to stay there until the last ing the numerous woody exotic Still, the oak-canopied tables were my duties would be, I was surprised to intersections along the 4-mile run participant and patrol car behind the route to direct the runners and block last participant had passed — twice. invasives, like privet, mulberry and filled with old friends catching up and find (a record-breaking attendance of) others making new friends, as is the 590 registrants for the 8 a.m. start! cars from proceeding along their path. multi-flora rose, constantly seeding case each year during the four hours Things moved quickly. Upon Within minutes, I was standing at the SEE RECENTLY PAGE 5 in. Even some of the native black- berry must be pulled when it gets too exuberant. And the native poison ivy, a fine source of food Citizen wins awards for birds, remains a constant chal- lenge to keep away from unsus- Carrboro Citizen art director Liz Holm has been named the recipient of seven awards in the 2009 North Carolina pecting walkers. Press Association Best Ad Contest. Holm received first-place awards for Best Full-color Res- SEE FLORA PAGE 8 taurant/Entertainment Ad (for Glasshalfull), Best Full-color Institutional Ad (Girls Rock NC) and Best Special Section (The Carrboro Citizen Garden Guide). INSIDE She won second place for Best Full-color Real Estate Ad (April Grossman), Best Full-color Institutional Ad (Carrboro Growing Piedmont Health Services Healthy Kids Project) and Best Shared Page (Quaff Local).