ADVERTISING SECTIONS
52 Gallery Walk
55 Gift Guide
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wbm AUGUST 2017
CHANGING OUR WORLD TOGETHER ONE FASCINATING STORY AT A TIME.
26 18 44
18 Sowing Seeds
A farm on Wilmington’s Division Drive may appear
like any other, a little green refuge amid the cityscape.
But there is something that makes the LINC urban
farm different. It also provides a valuable hands-on
working opportunity for residents of the M.E. Roberts
Transitional Living Facility, helping them convert to
civilian life and reintegrate into the community after
prison. By Annie Stevens
22 New Like 1852
What’s involved with giving a historic 1852 mansion
a makeover? The goal is actually to make it look older.
The Latimer House, headquarters of the Lower Cape
Fear Historical Society and the one of the oldest houses
in Wilmington, now has a front foyer and stairway care-fully
restored to reflect historical accuracy, with their
original paint colors and design. By Simon Gonzalez
26 A Redemption Story
Dale Varnam’s roadside attraction, Fort Apache, is
packed to the ceiling rafters with treasures. Some
who stop to marvel at Varnam’s quirky and eclectic
collection of movie and theater memorabilia leave
with a souvenir, but the attraction and store are
intended to attract people so Varnam can share his
story of redemption. By Simon Gonzalez
38 Giant-Sized Dream
Drivers on U.S. Highway 74 can’t help but notice the
20-foot fiberglass bikini girl standing at the side of
the road. Exploring further, those drivers find statues
of flamingos, chickens, cows and more. They’re all part
of Hubert Graham’s giant-sized dream to create an
amusement park on his property. Meet the Richie Rich
of Delco and his oversized fiberglass menagerie.
By Simon Gonzalez
44 Family Ties
When Wilmington photographer Millie Holloman
posted online photos of the day she officially adopted
her foster child, Vera Wren, she had no idea the
pictures would go viral. Now Holloman is using the
photos as a platform to share her story of fostering
to adoption and to spread her message: the rewards
are worth it. By Carole Wirszyla
ON THE COVER
16
Ethan Eddins, 12-year-old grand-son
of publisher Pat Bradford
on lifeguard stand No. 12 in
June. Ethan had been one of
the participants in the first 2017
Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue
Junior Lifeguard Program. After
the guard had left for the day,
beachgoers were still enjoying
the salt air that evening —
the best time of day for beach
photography.
— By Allison Potter
50 Artful Evolution
Betty Brown has mastered an expansive array
of medium, using each as an expression of her
creative instincts and feeding her impulse to
experiment. Her oeuvre reaches from watercolor
to assemblage, poetry to intaglio, employing color
to capture the viewer’s attention and thoughtful
self-reflection to hold it. By Kathryn Manis
60 Vacation Renovation
After 20 years of hosting summer vacations on
Wrightsville Beach, the Morrison family’s South
Ridge beach house was ready for a complete
makeover from its ’80s-style to sleek, breezy
and contemporary. Practical and stylish design
innovations make this redo ready for large family
gatherings and continued vacation memory-making.
By Emory Rakestraw
80 River View
As the first restaurant to open in Wilmington’s
RiverLights development, Smoke on the Water
is breaking new ground on the banks of the
Cape Fear River. With understated, rustic style
and purposeful details, the architecture capitalizes
on one of the city’s greatest natural assets: its
river view. By Simon Gonzalez
88 Goin’ Whole Hog
True North Carolina barbecue fanatics know
there’s only one real way to enjoy barbecued pork:
pulled right off the bone, served with coleslaw
and baked beans. The art of the traditional whole
hog pig pickin’ is being preserved by some of the
state’s most accomplished, and most devoted,
barbecue enthusiasts. By Katelynn Watkins
DEPARTMENTS
15 Up Front
16 Shorts
18 Trending
50 Art Treatise
58 In View
94 Social Seens
98 Tide Chart
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