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Scene & Heard: Alive After Five draws enthusiastic crowd to Corpening Plaza
Journal Photo by Ed Brown
Michael Touby and his dog Riley were joined by Jamie Harlowe.
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Published: June 23, 2009
Music, hot dogs, popcorn, gelato and beer always draw a good crowd, but it was the lack of rain that created the real buzz Thursday during Alive After Five.
After three rainy Thursdays, last week the skies finally cleared and several hundred folks set up their lawn chairs and spread their blankets on the grass at Corpening Plaza. Children danced, and dogs romped while the adults kicked back to enjoy musical performances by Matt Stillwell and D. Hickman & Steel Moven.
"We've spent the day constantly looking at the radar," said Jill Martin, the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership event director.
Martin said that Alive After Five has a distinct place in the music series lineup. "We get a nice mixture of people on Thursdays. We're seeing lots of young parents with their children and pets."
For the first time this year, Thursday's bands were booked and the sound system provided by Jay Stephens, owner of Ziggy's Presents, Martin said.
Richard and Pat Blackwell, of Winston-Salem, set up their lawn chairs in the grass in front of the stage. They attended their first Alive After Five of the year, specifically with the intention of hearing Matt Stillwell.
The Blackwells' seats were positioned ideally for a reason other than their proximity to the band. They were also able to get a wonderful whiff of hot dog every time Cheryl Clark, the owner of Howbouta Hotdog, sold one.
Clark delighted the crowd again this year with her signature hot-dog hat. She said she has worked as a vendor at Alive After Five since it first began. "The event has really grown," she said. "I love all the kids. That's the main thing."
While the kids turned somersaults in the grass, their parents and grandparents lined up to buy drinks from Alisa and Jim Keegan and a bartender who identified himself as "Crow." "The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership hired us because we're the best three bartenders in town," Mr. Keegan said, jokingly.
Star Lee took advantage of the audience to get the word out about Paper Lantern Theatre Company, which she helped start. Amy Daluz, another founder, assisted with the set-up of the information table and Lee's husband, Saul McSween, showed up in time to load things back in the car. Paper Lantern will present its first play, Dead Man's Cell Phone, July 17-26 on the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance stage.
Thursday's drama at Corpening Plaza began earlier for some than others. Although the music was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., BB&T employees who work in the building adjacent to the plaza were able to catch glimpses of setup throughout the afternoon.
Two BB&T employees, Lorie Shinault and Laura Rine, enjoyed being able to walk right out of their offices for some fun after work. Shinault shared memories of working in the beer tent when the bank sponsored Alive After Five in the past. She said she preferred being just one of the crowd. "This way, I don't have to check ages," she said with a laugh.
There was certainly a wide range of ages represented last week. Among the crowd were Billy Rich and his friend Lolita Stevenson from Raleigh. Although Rich has attended Alive After Five since "Day No. 1," Stevenson was a first-timer. "I love Winston-Salem," she said. "It has a community feeling and yet a big-city flavor. There are so many things to do here and yet it's small."
Riley, a standard poodle puppy, took advantage of everything there was to do. He watched children. He watched other dogs. He barked. He panted. And he did a fine job of protecting his owner, Michael Touby of Clemmons and their friend Jamie Harlowe of Greensboro.
Riley seemed particularly interested in Maggie, a great Dane who sauntered by with her owner, Mendy McNeel. They have enjoyed Alive After Five every year, McNeel said. Last week they were joined by Jamie Barden and her mother, Pat Barden, of Titusville, Fla. "This is fantastic," Pat said. "The families, the kids, the dogs.... it's such a family thing. I love it."
The Atkinson sisters Ella, 3, and Maggie, 23 months, spent a lot of their time munching on snacks their mother, Kristin, provided. But as soon as the music started, they dropped everything to dance. Friends John and Katie Davis applauded their very enthusiastic moves.
Perhaps one of the luckiest folks in the crowd was Tessa Fourqurean, a rising junior at Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro. She works at Wolfies in downtown Winston-Salem. Thursday night her assignment was to take the gelato cart down to Corpening Plaza while her sister, Marisa, minded the store.
Tessa said she was having a great time watching people and listening to music. "Wolfies likes to get involved in lots of things like this," she said. "This is a great way to get everyone together."
From his seat on a bench under a shade tree overlooking the scene, Ruben Gonzales, the interim director of development for the city, agreed. In fact, he identified the music series as one of many components that draw people to Winston-Salem. "This is a nice show of community spirit," he said.
■ Have a social or charity activity that you would like Scene & Heard to share with Journal readers? E-mail features@wsjournal.com and type "Scene" in the subject line or call 727-7339. You may contact Leigh Somerville McMillan directly by e-mail at leigh@studiomcmillan.com.
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