Robin Minnick

Article on McCormick Farms in the sand hills of North Carolina - sustainable farming, event sites.

Another issue of ARRAY Magazine in which I have multiple articles - a profile of a multi-talented colleague (pg 18) and a story on a group of high school culinary students who took the prize in Habitat for Humanities gingerbread house competition (p.42)

I am also the subject of an Author Spotlight article in this issue (p. 20)

Inside this issue you will find multiple articles written by me.

Topics range from new leadership of a symphony (p.16) and a Chamber of Commerce (p.12) to yoga for dog-owners (p.36) and fundraising plans for a non-profit (p.34).

by Robin Minnick
Children are small. To them, the
world can look like a sea of legs held together
by belts and waistbands, with disembodied
voices telling them what to do.
When the voices turn angry and the belted
legs chase, the whole world becomes a sea of
danger to be navigated with desperate care.
If bad things happen, it seems like there’s
no one to trust, no safe harbor. The Child
Advocacy Center (CAC) is that safe harbor.
CAC’s stated mission is to “provide a safe
and child friendly center that supports the
prevention, investigation and prosecution
of child abuse” with the help and support of
community partners.

by Robin Minnick
The lobby of the squat brick building is
sparse and oddly free of dance-bag clutter. Trophies,
one nearly six feet tall, cluster in a corner like a
grove of metal trees. On entering, visitors see a large
classroom to the left, another across the lobby, and
a third in back. Dance tees on display with a knot
of women surrounding a central counter. One is a
petite blonde-haired woman with bright eyes and a
sweet smile and a dream five times bigger than she
is. Victoria Armstrong, is the Owner/Artistic Director
of Elite Dance Center near the corner of Legion
and Black-and-Decker Roads.
It’s a cliché: little girls dreaming of being ballerinas.
However, some girls - like Victoria - dream
of teaching dance and owning their own studios.

by Robin Minnick
To manager Travis Lynde, it’s the “Cheers”
of oyster bars. To Tommy and Kari Cataldo of St.
Clair, Michigan, it’s “on their must-eat-at list.” A pair
of regulars retired from the military deem it “way
better than [another oyster establishment].” There’s
good reason for the high opinions of Full Moon
Oyster Bar on Brucewood Road in Southern Pines.
Step inside and be welcomed by the shuckers,
your wait staff. Music resounds

by Robin Minnick
This time of year in 1843, Charles
Dickens could be found standing before a
mirror, face suitably drawn, brow furrowed.
His voice is deliberately high-pitched, re-arranging
words of dialogue. He repeats them
several times with different inflections, scribbling
a change - the actor’s interpretation informing
the writer’s words.
Descendant Gerald Dickens relates
how his great-great-grandfather developed
characters

Carolina Country - LED or Not?

Anyone who puts up decorative lights knows how expensive it can get. For many of us that means turning to LED lights that can use 80 to 90 percent less electricity. But the question is, how good are they? Some North Carolina enterprises are finding out.