Matthews Morning Minute: September 19, 2018

News About Town: In very last minute news, this morning the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board of Education is hosting a breakfast for Town Councils from Mecklenburg County municipalities. As the first meeting between town boards and the school board since the Municipal Concerns Act was passed, tensions may be high. However, School Board member Elyse Dashew remains optimistic. “Sometimes it can be very hard to collaborate and solve problems together, but that is exactly what our constituents deserve and expect of us. This breakfast is designed to be a step forward in that process.”

This is a public meeting, but there will be no public comment period. September 19, 8:30 AM, Room 267 of the Government Center.

Since it’s a teacher work day, the kids are home, and we’ll all be busy making homemade ink. It is unclear if minutes or a recording will be available after the meeting.

News Above Town: Seems like a broken record, but it’s going to be another hot and humid day with highs around 89. The silver lining? The umbrella gets to stay put.

News Around Town: If you haven’t cleaned up the fallen twigs and branches yet, the county has guidelines for yard waste curb collection. Please be courteous to neighbors and don’t block the sidewalk or street. If you can, bag leaves and smaller sticks in heavy-duty paper bags available specifically for yard waste. These bags can go straight into the composting piles at Compost Central, eliminating single-use plastic waste. Plastic bags should be clear or the top must remain open so waste collectors can see the contents. Bags must weigh less than 50 pounds each, and there is a 20 bag limit per week per residence. Have branches trimmed shorter than 4 feet long and less than 5 inches thick. Stack limbs in small piles for easy collection. Remember, it’s not the Hulk picking up our yard waste.

Forage the greenway for walnuts and make some ink today.

One Good Thing: If you bought extra bottled water with the intention of returning it, be aware that many stores may provide a refund but are obligated to then throw the water away. If you can afford to, donate your bottled water to an area nonprofit. Rainbow Express Ministries at Matthews United Methodist Church will gladly accept sealed, unused bottles of water. To arrange a donation, email Allie Little, alylittle@gmail.com, or call 704-517-9335.

Little Free Libraries

The Chopas Family’s Blessing Box. Photo by Cyma Shapiro

Dotted throughout Matthews, you can find about ½ dozen small house-style boxes on stilts proudly displaying free books for the taking.  Called “Little Free Library” boxes or little book boxes, owners report many reasons for building and displaying their boxes - some love books and reading, others find commonality with other readers and still others feel they are contributing to a greater sense of community in and around their neighborhood.

Among the Matthews boxes we found include:

• 1718 Privette Road

• 2140 Greenbrook Pkwy

• 125 Edgeland (empty)

• 1042 Kensrowe Lane

• 232 North Trade Street

For the Chopas Family (Privette Road), their book box was a way to share with the neighbors, promote literacy and give back to the cul de sac which had embraced them when they first arrived in Matthews three years ago. “This was a ‘Hallmark’ neighborhood,” said Debbie Chopas.  “They embraced us when our baby was born…..this was (intended) to keep the thread of meeting moving forward.”

Passionate about literacy, Debbie added that they also wanted to compliment the local library by encouraging reading throughout the summer. “Reading is the most valuable tool we can foster with this generation,” she said. “It’s a lost art. I wanted to help instill it in (children).”

To sweeten the goodies inside and continue paying it forward, the Chopas have combined purposes, by also calling it a “Blessing Box” –  and have chosen to add magazines, puzzles and other surprises for the takers.

Julie Tippett’s Little Free Library was a Christmas gift. Photo by Cyma Shapiro

The Little Free Library box was a 2016 Christmas present for Julie Tippett (Lightwood Road).  “I wanted it because I love my neighborhood,” she said noting that in neighborhoods like hers, with large lots and space between houses, she “wanted to do something so that we would have some form of community.”

“I wanted it because I love my neighborhood,” she said noting that in neighborhoods like hers, with large lots and space between houses, (I) wanted to do something so that we would have some form of community.”

“I love to read and loved reading out loud to my children (as they grew up),” said Julie. “(So) I love the fact that kids come by and get books….If I can put a book in the hands of a mom to read to her children,” Julie said, she will feel like the box and her endeavor has “served a purpose.”

And, what will she do when she moves away? “When I buy my next house at the beach, I will be sure to put a box up there, too!”  

Tina Marlowe’s library has been a labor of love. Photo by Tina Marlowe

To Tina Marlowe (Kensrowe Lane), her Little Free Library box of four years has been a “labor of love.”  “Literacy is our passion,” said Tina, “so sharing the joy of reading is so much fun!”A former volunteer tutor for elementary age children, her box combines purpose and intent. Tina purchases adult/children/teen books from Goodwill, The Book Rack, and book consignment shops around the area.  “Children’s books are my priority (and) the reason for our Little Free Library journey,” said Tina. “This has truly been a labor of love.”

“Children’s books are my priority (and) the reason for our Little Free Library journey. This has truly been a labor of love.”

The most public of Matthews’ book boxes is firmly visible and ensconced in front of Matthews Heritage Museum (232 N. Trade Street) – a joint effort between townspeople and the museum, it was built to “serve Matthews citizens in different ways when (the museum) wasn’t open to the public,” said museum Director Barbara Taylor. Originally intended to offer historical fiction/nonfiction, the box is well stocked with books of all types, now.  “(The box has allowed us to) have (another) successful interaction with the public,” she said.

The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by Todd Bol of Hudson, WI. He mounted a wooden container designed to look like a one-room schoolhouse (hence, the design) and filled it with books as a tribute to his mother, who was a book lover and school teacher. In 2012, the Little Free Library became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The original goal was to create 2,150 Little Libraries, a number which would surpass the number of libraries founded (and funded) by Scottish businessman and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. As of November 2016, there were 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries worldwide, with a significant amount located in the United States.

Like other public bookcases, anyone passing by a box can take a book to read or leave one for someone else to find. The organization relies on volunteers to construct, install, and maintain book exchange boxes. For a book exchange box to be registered and legally use the Little Free Library brand name, volunteers must purchase a Library box kit or a charter sign which reads, “Little Free Library” and displays an official charter number.

At present, there are several hundred Little Free Libraries in North Carolina; six are shown as registered in Matthews. There are countless additional boxes which have not been registered.

Little Free Library Stats

3 out of 4 people report they’ve read a book they normally would not have read because of a Little Free Library

73% of people say they’ve met new neighbors because of a Little Free Library

92% of people say their neighborhood feels like a friendlier place because of a Little Free Library

Crestdale Heritage Signs

The two Crestdale Heritage signs, recently constructed at the (approximate) beginning and end of the perimeters of Crestdale (one on East Charles St. and one on Crestdale Road), were paid for through the town's Tourism Fund. Total cost was $7,754. They are intended to promote awareness of this historical area and were designed in keeping with the town's branding (both colors and signage shape).

Historical Crestdale is a neighborhood with a history dating back to the 1870s as a settlement for freed slaves and their families. It comprises approximately 112 acres.

Mojo Saturday Morning Bike Run

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

At 7:30 a.m. on most Saturdays, dozens of bikers will gather to start their weekly exercise from the train rails in front of Mojo’ Cycles on an approximately 30 or 50 (sometimes 70!)-mile loop which will bring them back home again. (They might also have taken a similar ride on Tuesday or Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.)

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

This is a chance to meet up with friends, see the countryside or just get some exercise. The average rider here is in his/her 40s, prompting bike shop owner Jimmy Johnson to comment that this is a great aerobic exercise they can do – one which only requires muscle, stamina and a tweaking of accessories to accommodate aging bodies.

As millennials stake a claim to leaving cars parked during weekends, Johnson sees “more interest in biking than ever,” especially off-road biking, made possible by the increasing number of Greenways and biking trails being constructed in and around Charlotte.

To accommodate the often large crowd during holiday runs, the group is often escorted by police to Independence Boulevard and beyond, ensuring their safety.

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

This is a decades-old tradition Johnson feels strongly about continuing, adding, “It’s good to leave from a bike shop, (just) in case you need something.”

Mojo Cycles
105 W Charles Street
Matthews, NC 28105
704-817-0009

TUESDAY - FRIDAY: 10am - 6pm
SATURDAY: 9am - 5pm
SUNDAY &  MONDAY: Closed

Sunday in the Park: Stumptown Park

A few of our favorites photographs from Matthews Alive weekend submitted by Ava Williamson (top) and Cyma Shapiro (center and bottom). Want to contribute? Tag #MatthewsBeacon on Instagram and Facebook! 

The Lives Behind Matthews Alive

When the carnival at Matthews Alive opens on Friday afternoon, excited adults and children will bear witness to an exciting array of rides (13) and some very tasty food (5 in Stumptown Park and countless more in the near vicinity).

What they won’t see is the passionate dedication of the owners behind the rides, the number of their employees (18) who dedicated themselves to setting up the event and the many hours (30+) and days (4) it took to do so.

They also won’t see the day-long process of safety checks – inspection done by the North Carolina Department of Labor the day before the carnival opens nor the safety meeting also held with all the

employees prior to the opening day (an elaborate sheet of checks and the requirement to run all rides for three cycles).

To Bob and Bess Brinkley, of Brinkley Entertainment, Inc. (Walnut Cove, NC), this will be an opportunity to reconnect with old friends, a chance to show off their wares and will be another stop on the road to setting up and taking down the nearly 35 carnivals they present in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. each year.

For us this is taking something everyone thinks they might know about and have childhood memories of, and then (try to) do it better or different(ly),” says 60-year-old fourth-generation “carnie,” Bess. “The passion is to keep it as original and as better-than new,” echoes her husband, Bob.

Bess Brinkley of Brinkley Entertainment, Inc.

“For us this is taking something everyone thinks they might know about and have childhood memories of, and then (try to) do it better or different(ly),” says 60-year-old fourth-generation “carnie,” Bess. “The passion is to keep it as original and as better-than new,” echoes her husband, Bob.”

“My father said, ‘never put anything on a plate that you wouldn’t eat yourself,’ ” Bess says echoing his words of long ago, “If you won’t eat it, then don’t sell it.”

As their concessions are run as a separate arm of the company, the Brinkleys will offer homemade (and secret) family recipes: fresh lemonade, funnel cakes, caramel popcorn, corn dogs and deep fried Oreos. Missing will be other goodies they’ve pioneered and sell at other carnivals such as pumpkin pie shake and candied apples with raspberries and sugar coating. (Years, ago, Bess was the first person to offer turkey legs at any carnival in North Carolina). “My father said, ‘never put anything on a plate that you wouldn’t eat yourself,’ ” Bess says echoing his words of long ago, “If you won’t eat it, then don’t sell it.”

On the ride-side, they will offer the unique Hog Drop ride (formerly Roll-a-Plane) and proudly present their refurbished vintage Ferris Wheel, the second of the trailer-mounted Wheels ever built by the pre-eminent company, Eli Bridge.

Bobbie’s touch and nod to present day? The LED lights surrounding it.

Behind the scenes remain dedicated employees, many of whom have been with them for up to 25 years – their “family,” as Bess calls them, while recounting stories of traveling with numerous members of extended families year after year. (A childless couple, the Brinkleys have taken dozens of employees and their families under their wing.)

“My people do this (work) because they want to,” she says, adding that she works hard to present a quality carnival experience devoid of the oft-known criticism of “carnie” employees as being the underbelly of society. “Carnival-goers are surprised at how well they are treated and how respectful to people they are.”

The hard working crew that makes sure the Matthews Alive carnival rides are safe and fun

The recipients of numerous national awards (including Vendor of the Year Award), the Brinkleys say they pride themselves on a stringent work ethic, dedication to excellence and pride in presentation. (Bobbie is past president of the NC Association of Fairs and Events and a certified ride inspector through the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.)

“We are in the entertainment business - the outdoor amusement business, says Bess. “Yes, we’re a “carnie” business, but not as in a cuss word. My people work really hard. This is a business and we are trying to do the best thing for our people. We’ve tried to take what’s been handed down to me and make it better for (both) our employees and for people who come to the event.”

“We are in the entertainment business - the outdoor amusement business, says Bess. “Yes, we’re a “carnie” business, but not as in a cuss word. My people work really hard. This is a business and we are trying to do the best thing for our people. We’ve tried to take what’s been handed down to me and make it better for (both) our employees and for people who come to the event.”