Philip Duchastel

I noticed a sign attached to the Carrboro “Welcome” sign on Estes Drive the other day. It read, “A Bicycle-Friendly Town.” And Carrboro even has a Bicycle Friendly designation from a national bicycle group. Which got me thinking about that and asking myself, “Are we really a bicycle-friendly town?” And what about our sister town of Chapel Hill? And what about UNC?

If we look at the bikeways maps that are available from the towns, they are full of multicolored lines showing an extensive network of bikeways to and fro. Some of these are excellent bicycle/pedestrian paths that are off-road altogether.

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By Kirk Ross

First off, thanks again for reading, writing, suggesting, advertising and supporting our advertisers. We’re still on the grow and still fine-tuning this wondrous new vehicle.

As we look toward fall, there are a few plans we want to share with you, mainly because our readers will play a key role in helping them unfold.

The first is an effort to gather stories, something any newspaper worth its salt should be doing on a daily basis.

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Really Really Free Market clears hurdles 

Since the beginning of the Really Really Free Market in Carrboro in 2004, town officials have presented many hurdles to get over in order to have an event where people give things away. First we were told the event would hurt local businesses, and we had to convince town staff that it was more likely to help by bringing people into town. Then we were told it would hurt the PTA thrift store, and I had to get a letter of support from the director of the PTA. We were told we couldn’t have the event more than twice a year, and unless we wanted to pay more than $100 the event could only last four hours. Then we were told we couldn’t have a donation box at the event to collect money to cover the $100 fee. Then we had an issue with the banners, and then there was the blowup over the re-purposed yard signs.

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A 26-year-old George “Cat Baby” Cannada leads the CHHS football team onto Carrboro’s Lions’ Park field in 1963. Photo by Jock Lauterer 

By Jock Lauterer

Cat Baby would have loved the return of high school football to Carrboro.

That’s right, Friday night’s inaugural football game at the new Carrboro High School off Smith Level Road was not the first high school football game played in Carrboro.

Not by a long shot. Back in my day, the downtown Chapel Hill High School, located at the site of today’s University Square, had no football field of its own. We had to truck across town to venerable old Lions’ Park off Fidelity Street in Carrboro for our “home” games.

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At the Carrboro Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night, Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Joal Hall Broun and Jacqueline Gist joined their fellow aldermen and town staff in wearing Carrboro High School jerseys and t-shirts — showing they can indeed all agree on something. Photo by Kirk Ross

Land Trust receives donation
Pickett Land & Building Company recently donated $10,000 to the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust.

The Land Trust will use the funds for long-term maintenance of Land Trust properties, which are sold to low-income buyers at affordable rates. Pickett Land & Building focuses on building traditional North Carolina homes with sustainable green building techniques and materials.

The Land Trust is a nonprofit provider of affordable housing and has 128 homes in Orange County.

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Farmers’ Markets

• Carrboro Farmers’ Market - Sat 7am-12pm through Dec 22; Wed 3:30-6:30pm through Oct 17. Carrboro Town Commons. 932-1641, www.carrborofarmersmarket.com
• Southern Village Farmers’ Market – Last week! Thu, Aug 30, 4-7pm, at Market Street on the Village Green.
• Hillsborough Farmers’ Market - Wed 3-6pm; Sat 7:30am-noon. Apr-Nov. 732-8315.
• Fearrington Village Farmers’ Market - Tue 4pm through Nov 20. 8 miles south of Chapel Hill on US 15-501, Fearrington Village, Chapel Hill. 542-4000, chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms/fearrington.html
• Pittsboro Farmers’ Market - Thu 3:30-6:30pm through Nov 29. Chatham County Fairgrounds, Pittsboro. chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms/pittsboro.html

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WCOM radio host Tom Arnel says he’s set up a series of “musical debates” with candidates for Carrboro Mayor and Board of Aldermen. Arnel’s 5-6 p.m. Saturday slot called “The Placeholder Show” will features the candidates spinning discs and, perhaps in some cases, just plain spinning. That’s 103.5 on your FM dial.
Here’s the lineup:
Sept. 1: Katrina Ryan & Chuck Morton
Sept. 15: Joal Hall Broun & Sharon Cook
Sept. 22: Dan Coleman & Mark Chilton
Sept. 29: Lydia Lavelle & Frank Abernathy
Oct. 13: Brian Voyce

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Carrboro

Brushes with Life - Art, artists & mental illness. Through Sept 9. The ArtsCenter, 300-G E Main St, Carrboro. 929-2787, artscenterlive.org

In Memoriam: A Life in Art - Works by Ramell Moore. Through Sept. 9. The ArtsCenter, 300-G E Main St, Carrboro. 929-2787, artscenterlive.org

Background Music for Birds - Mixed media paintings by Renee Seaman Treml. Sept 1-30. NC Crafts Gallery, 212 W Main St, Carrboro. Mon-Sat 10am-6 pm, Sun 1-4pm. 942-4048, nccraftsgallery.com

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Thursday August 30

Blue Horn Lounge: Blue Marble Beat. 9pm
Cat’s Cradle: The War, Baumer, David Spencer. 8:30pm. $10
The Cave: Early: Functry. Late: Transistor Sun, The T’s.
Local 506: Chris Pureka, Judith Avers. 9pm. $10
Weaver Street Market: Contrazz. 6pm

Friday August 31

Blue Horn Lounge: Millhouse. 9pm
Cat’s Cradle: Shakermaker, Butterflies, The Strugglers, Dirty5Thirty. 8pm. $5
The Cave: Early: The Fidgets. Late: Tim Stambaugh & The Redneck Explosion.
Local 506: Kill Tim’s Grass, mörglbl. 9pm. $12
Open Eye Café: Russel Howard. 8pm

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Willis Hampton Knight, age 83, died Sunday, August 26, 2007 at Laurels of Chatham Nursing Home in Pittsboro, N.C. after several years of declining health.

Preceding Knight in death were his parents, Hampton and Cara Hobby Knight, brother Everett Knight and sisters Elsie McBane, Edna Caldwell, Lillian Knight and Helen Campbell.

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Ruth Solomon Wright, age 89, died August 25, 2007 in Chapel Hill after several years of declining health. Born in Pressman’s Home, Tennessee in 1918, she had lived in Chapel Hill since 1948 and was a homemaker for the majority of her life.

She was pre-deceased by her husband of 60 years, O.J. (Jack) Wright, an infant daughter, Irene, her parents, Robert and Martha Solomon and her siblings, Clyde, Grady, Mae, Eula, Gladys, Nellie, Robert, Grace and Clara.

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Carrboro’s first high school set to open

Carrboro High School Principal Jeff Thomas checks out one of the custom Jaguar clocks. Photo by Jock Lauterer

By Susan Dickson and Kirk Ross
Staff Writers

The much-anticipated opening of Carrboro High School has finally arrived, and on Monday more than 600 students will become Carrboro’s first high school’s student body.

The school officially opens its doors tonight (Thursday) at 6 p.m. for a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony. On Friday, the football team takes the field for the first home game for any Jaguar team. Classes start Monday.

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Carrboro High School running back Brooks Morgan heads for the sidelines in an attempt to find breathing room against an agressive Red Devils defense. Photo by Kirk Ross

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

By Wednesday, after Friday’s 47-0 rout at the hands of the Graham Red Devils, head football coach Jason Tudryn was philosophical.

“We’ve put it behind us,” he said. “Everyone understands that this year we’re on a journey.”

The journey, he said, is about getting better each week.

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Photo by Isaac Sandlin

Tuesday’s rain was the first serious amount of widespread precipitation in almost a month and it sent many in Carrboro scurrying for cover.
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