A MonthLy MusIc, Arts And literAture publicAtIon MILLof the cArrboro cItIzen voL. 4 + no. 6 + MArCH 2011 InsIde: t rIng cArrboro’s bell t froM milltown to MeccA t bAsIc vAnilla froM bill smith t good food AwArds The ArtsCenter Presents Southern Sacred Steel Conference Part of the 8th annual American Roots Series Thursday, March 17-Sunday, March 20 Featuring Aubrey Ghent, The Lee Boys, The Allen Boys, master classes, lectures, documentary photography, church service and community lunch! The events are made possible by the Carrboro Citizen, Courtyard by Marriott, Center for the Study of the American South and North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For ticket information visit ArtsCenterLive.org *some events free and open to the public 300-G East Main St. • Carrboro, NC • 919.929.2787 2 carrborocitizen.com/mill + march 2011 MILL Milestones FestivaL with a sounDtracK f you’re reading this copy of mILL on of what is to be. as we look at the town the day of publication, today marks through its yesterdays, we can’t help but call it mardi Gras or the end of carrboro’s first century wonder about its tomorrows. One hun- carnival or whatever and the beginning of its second. as dred years from now, the map coordinates you like, the stretch of we note in several spots here and in and the town’s boundaries will be little time just ahead of the IThe Citizen itself, the shindig at the aptly changed, but the people, their way of Lenten season is sup- named carrboro century center is just life and those things thought of as local the start of a period of celebration and institutions will be far different. posed to be a time to commemoration marking the passage of Our hands and our hearts will shape cut loose. much of the 100 years, culminating on may 1 with an that future a little before passing the task throwing down is done extra-grand carrboro Day. on to the next generation, who will have to the music of New march, the month of new energy and their turn at it before doing the same. and Orleans and surround- hope and emergence, is the perfect month on some spring day far down the road, ing environs, whose to get this party started, for milestones some bell will ring 200 hundred times, culture has churned out – century marks and otherwise – are as calling those who will walk these streets a catalog of tunes that much about the future as they are about long after us to recall our ways, our rivals that of christmas the road just traveled. institutions, our character and characters; in number and over- Wrapped in each remembrance of the to remember what was and imagine what whelms it and all other way things were is the unspoken question will be. — Kirk ross holidays in spirit. If you want to get into the swing of things, robert Dickson, P u bli sher Marty cassady, a D dir ec t o r here’s a set of essential listening: [email protected] [email protected] • Going to the mardi Gras – Professor Longhair • mardi Gras mambo – hawkettes Kirk ross, edi t o r c o n t r Ibu t o r s susan Dickson, [email protected] Vicky Dickson, ashley Melzer, • meet de Boys on the Battlefront – Wild Tchoupitoulas • Iko Iko – The Dixie-cups Will bryant, allison russell • Second Line – Bill Sinigal & The Skyliners • It ain’t my Fault – Olympia Brass Band Liz holm, a r t dir ec t o r • hey Pocky Way – Neville Brothers • They all asked for You – meters [email protected] COVER ILLUSTRATION bY PhIL bLANK of the ray house on • Jockomo – Sugar Boy crawford taylor sisk, Weaver street, built in 1910 • mardi Gras in New Orleans – Olympia Brass Band M a n ag In g edi t o r [email protected] • New Suit – Wild magnolias MILL M a r c h a L M a n a c I awoke this morning to the greening of spring and a hundred thoughts of you — Sam ragan, “Birthday Greeting” The growth of daylight continues, gaining an average of 2 minutes and 51 seconds per day. Official time springs forward an hour with the start of Daylight Savings Time at 2 a.m. on march 13. Sunrise, march 1: 6:46 a.m. Sunrise, march 31: 7:04 a.m. Moon Phases New moon – march 4; First Quarter – march 12; Full moon – march 19; Last Quarter – march 26 The Full moon in march – the largest full moon of this year – is known as the Lenten moon, Worm moon, crow moon, chaste moon and Sap moon. The Vernal Equinox occurs at 7:21 p.m. on march 20. Planets: Jupiter and mercury snuggle up in the western sky around mid-month and Venus and Neptune get very close at the end of the month; Saturn starts its climb above the horizon, remaining so all night, by the end of the month. march is Women’s history month, red cross month and National Nutrition month Significant Dates:• Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is march 5; • mardis Gras and Shrove Tuesday are march 8; • Lent starts on (ash) Wednesday, march 9; • the Ides of march is march 15; • the ACC women’s basketball tournament is march 3-6 and the men’s tourna- ment is march 10-13, both in Greensboro; • Saint Patrick’s Day is march 17; and • the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament starts march 19 and the men’s tour- nament starts with the first four play-in games onm arch 15. MILL march 2011 + carrborocitizen.com/mill 3 pileated guards the territory multiple roost cavities could against unwelcome intruder prove to be very advanta- Pileated fever males. he will stand at the geous. very top of a tall hollow During the course of raising By Mary Parker Sonis snag, preen his feathers and their young, one of the nest- drum loudly at the intruder. lings died. I knew something ow is the time for sight- sycamore tree by the edge of the creek. It was This sound is so resonant was wrong by the call of the ing pileated woodpeckers a perfect nest tree: a mature live tree with a that I’ve actually mistaken female – she was frantic. in the Bolin creek Forest. section of dead tree at the very top. Damage it for house construction in When the male arrived at the The branches are bare caused by fungus made the excavation of a the vicinity. of leaves and the largest 9-inch cavity far easier. The entrance hole was nest, the female moved to a Nwoodpecker in North america can be seen the classic oblong shape created by a pileated. In nesting season, the nearby perch and the male daily, excavating new roost cavities and Now, the pileated has many roosting holes in female does the greater had the job of removing the chiseling into stumps and trees searching the forest, so it isn’t always easy to recognize share of brooding the eggs, dead nestling from the tree. I for the carpenter ants and other insects the true nest site. Noticing that this particular but once the chicks are don’t think it was my imagi- that are the mainstay of cavity was receiving atten- born both parents attend nation that the calls of the the pileated’s diet. This tion from both the male and equally to the young. The Photo By mary Parker sonis woodpeckers had a keening spectacular bird is a full 15 the female was the giveaway male and female alternate quality that day. feedings every 45 minutes inches in length, with stark fauna clue. Pileateds sleep in sepa- after eluding hawks and losing one of their to one hour, and this schedule goes from black-and-white coloration rate quarters each night. young, a single nestling emerged ready for sunrise to sunset. at one point during this and a crest of flame red on its head. The flight on a sunnym ay afternoon. Both parents What makes the pileateds interesting is the process, I saw the male approach the nest males sport an additional red moustache perched a short distance from the nest. They constancy of the couple throughout the year. but remain on a branch away from the that runs along the bill. If you haven’t called gently, trying to cajole their youngster They are life partners that work together even young. he called loudly and feigned an seen one of these birds crossing the Bolin into taking her first flight into the forest. The when they are not in breeding season. In the injury, dropping his wing to the side. Out creek trails, you have certainly heard their fledgling made her flight, then continued to winter, one pileated might find a good cache of nowhere, a cooper’s hawk appeared and wild laughing cries in the canopy. receive attention from her parents into the fall. of food in a stump, and while one feeds the headed for the male, who shot off into It was a successful year for the pileated family. Two years ago, I had the pleasure of observ- other stands guard. If a predator approaches, the woods, drawing the hawk away from In april, it will all begin again. ing a pileated pair raise their young in a large the guard bird will cry out the alarm. The male the nest with his wild calls. having those c a L e n d a r March 3 monthly monitoring of the pollutants and com if you plan to attend.