Honoring the Past, Building a Future
If you grew up on the North Side of Chicago, chances are you grew up a Cubs fan, I certainly did. There was beautiful Wrigley Field, without lights in those days, when baseball was still played beneath the afternoon sun. Riding the train north past the ballpark, people would look for the flag flying above … Continue reading The Boys of Summer: What Baseball Still Has to Teach Rocky Mount
There comes a moment in the life of every community when optimism is tested. Rocky Mount is living through one of those moments now. There is no avoiding the reality before us. The City's financial challenges and the uncertainty surrounding them have understandably shaken confidence. Our financial institutions exist to manage risk wisely, and no … Continue reading The Future Depends on Those Who Still Believe
Thank you for joining me on my Main Street Bench Two thousand followers have now found their way to the Main Street blog......... Or as I like to think of it, my Main Street Bench. Some arrive quietly, some leave a note, some simply pause for a moment before walking on, but each one has … Continue reading Where One Thing Has Led To Another: The Mainstreet Blog Now Has 2000 Followers
“We do not have government by the majority, we have government by the majority who participate.” — Thomas Jefferson In the last Ward 3 election, there were 2,556 registered voters. Yet only 778 actually voted, about 30%. That means fewer than one third of the ward determined its future. We can realistically expect between 600 … Continue reading Stepheny Reflection on Ward 3’s Voter Turnout October 7, ’25
Friday afternoon, August 8 in Rocky Mount. I was downtown to photograph the building at 112 NW Main Street. In the stretch of street where I stood, I counted six cars. Six. The building I came to photograph, and the ones reflected in the glass across the tracks, looked like a patchwork quilt stitched by … Continue reading A ‘Raggedy Ass’ Friday In Rocky Mount, NC
Two small moments—one in a movie theater, one on a London street, remind me that what we preserve aren't just buildings, but stories that happened in just the right place, at just the right time, and they become a kind of personal landmark. I’ve always loved the movie 84 Charing Cross Road, the quiet affection … Continue reading Why Main Street Memories Deserve a Place in Preservation
Main Street Rocky Mount 