Winter/Spring 2016

New Executive Director: Robin Smith After an extensive regional and national search, Robin Smith has been named Executive Director of the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities. Smith brings to Weymouth her passion for arts and culture along with her strong belief in the positive impact they have on individuals and communities alike. Smith has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2008 and has been involved in various branches of the arts most of her adult life. She joins Weymouth from the Music Center in Los Angeles, one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States and host of the Academy Awards, 1969 to 1987.

Before joining the development team at the Music Center, Smith served as Executive Assistant to writer/producer Norman Lear and as Grant Administrator for the Lear Family Foundation; as Project Coordinator and Executive Assistant to Liz Levitt Hirsch, President of the Mortimer & Mimi

Levitt Foundation, a national nonprofit organization behind the largest free concert series in America; and as key collaborator between photographers and celebrities for WireImage, a celebrity entertainment division of Getty Images Photography. Smith was also Project Coordinator for the Veterans Park Conservancy where in 2011, she played an integral part in the restoration of the 1947 Women Veterans Rose Garden and its Grand Opening which included such notable guests as Wallis Annenberg and Eli & Edythe Broad.

A North Carolina native, Smith is excited about returning to her roots and looks forward to rediscovering the rich heritage of arts and culture that is such an integral part of the state. “My excitement about the future of Weymouth is immeasurable and I am honored to be given this wonderful opportunity. As a unique center for the arts and humanities, as well as a member of the National Historic Register of Historical Places, the Weymouth Center is a gift to the community on so many levels. My goal as Executive Director is to serve as visionary conduit in the campaign for its preservation and growth.”

When asked what she is most looking forward to doing in her free time, Smith replied, “Digging my toes deep into the sand of the Outer Banks.” Smith is the granddaughter of Sam Ragan, North Carolina’s Poet Laureate from 1982 to 1996, who was an original member of Friends of Weymouth and who was integral in the founding of Weymouth Center. Smith accompanied her grandfather to Weymouth events and shares his passion for this cultural treasure.

Smith assumes her duties in early February.

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WEYMOUTH CENTERfor the Arts & Humanities

Winter/Spring 2016The Boyd Letters: Special Staged ReadingThursday, February 18, 7pm:A readers theater production, A Thousand Things Time Will Never Let Us Say, drawn from the Boyd letters, which offer an intimate insight into the lives of the Boyd's, Fitzgerald, Wolfe, Anderson, Perkins, Green, and other literary luminaries.. The production will be narrated by Marsha Warren, Director of the Paul Green Foundation. Readers include Chris Dunn, Director of Arts Council of Moore County; Reagan Parsons, Town Manager of Southern Pines; Shelby Stephenson, Poet Laureate of North Carolina; Denise Baker, Sandhills Community College Art Professor Emeritus and former Weymouth Board members, Stephen Smith and Ray Owen. Former board member, Lydia Gill will provide musical accompaniment. Members $10 Nonmembers $15. Call 692.6261 for reservations

Young Musicians Festival

Saturday & Sunday, February 20 & 21: Students in grades 4-6 residing in the counties of Moore, Lee, Hoke, Montgomery, Richmond, Cumberland and Scotland, currently studying an instrument or voice with a teacher, are eligible to participate in this year’s Young Musicians Festival. Participants will audition Saturday, February 20th.  The public is invited to the Finalists Concert on Sunday, February 21st at 3:00pm.  (Application form and more information available at www.weymouthcenter.org)

Acoustic Jam Session Last Tuesday of month, 7pm: Great Room. Bring your acoustic instrument for a lively jam session with friends and neighbors. If you don’t play an instrument, feel free to come and enjoy the music. Bring your own beverage.

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Chamber Music Concerts Friday, Jan. 29, 7pm: Thymos Quartet, a Paris-based string quartet, after having presented concerts at the Kennedy Center and Duke University will usher in the New Year with the music of Mozart, Shostakovitch and Schubert. Sunday, Feb. 28, 3pm: Weymouth is fortunate to be part of The Ciompi Quartet’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Sunday, March 13, 3pm: Weymouth welcomes the ever-popular artists, Anita Burroughs-Price, NCS harpist. and Reagin, North Carolina Symphony Concertmaster. Sunday, April 3, 3pm: Karen Allred makes her first appearance at Weymouth on. A Raleigh-based musician, Allred will perform works by Alessandro Scarlatti, Ludwig Beethoven, Claude Debussy, Frederick Chopin .

Friends of Weymouth members: by prepaid Chamber Music Concerts subscription $10 Nonmembers: $20 Age 18 & under: no charge

The concert sponsors are Vivian and Ralph Jacbson, JoAnne & Dale Erikson, Rita DiNapoli, Catherine & John Earp, Ray Owen, Martha Parson, Elaine and Milton Sills, Jane and Josiah Stevenson.

Winter/Spring 2016

Weymouth Writer in Residence Monthly ReadingsSpend an hour with a NC author currently in residence at Weymouth. Intimate readings with some of NC’s finest authors. Great Room. Author reception and discussion following each reading.

Wednesday, February 3, 5:30pm: Caroline Burns Bass reading from her newest work, Whispering Nights. A longtime journalist for entertainment travel and lifestyle media, she blogged for The Huffington Post and covers the travel for Examiner.com. Her fiction has been a finalist for numerous awards and one of her short stories, Sketches Past and Present, appears in the anthology, Best New Writing 2013.

Wednesday, March 2, 5:30 pm: Dana Sachs author of the novels, If You Lived Here and The Secret of the Nightingale Palace as well as two books of non-fiction, The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam and The Life We Were Given: Operation Babylift, International Adoption, and The Children of War in Vietnam.

Wednesday, April 13, 5:30pm: Krista Bremer author of My Accidental Jihad: A Love Story (Algonquin, 2014.) Her essays have appeared in national and international magazines and news outlets including The New York Times Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, CNN, MSN, The Sunday Times (London) and The Sun. She is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Award, a Pushcart Prize, and a North Carolina Arts Fellowship.Bremer is an associate publisher of The Sun.

Wednesday, May 11, 5:30pm: Matthew Olzmann, Poet. Olzmann earned his MFA from Warren Wilson College where he currently teaches. A former Kundiman Fellow, his first collection of poems, Mezzanines, won a Kundiman Poetry Prize and was published byAlice JamesBooks. His poetry has been praised for its style and wide range. His honors and awards include fellowships from the Kresge Arts Foundation, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Kenyon Review Writers’ Workshop. He is the 2015/2016 Kenan Visiting Writer at UNC Chapel Hill.

Wednesday June 2, 5:30pm: Karen E. Bender, National Book Award finalist will read. Bender’s short story collection, Refund, was the finalist for the 2015 National Book Award and a semifinalist for the Frank O’Connor International Story Prize. Bender's novels include A Town of Empty Rooms and Like Normal People and fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Grants Ploughshares, Zoetrope, Story, Narrative, The Harvard Review Guernica and the Iowa Review. Her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories, Best American Mystery Stories and New Stories from the South: The Year’s Best and have won two Pushcart prizes.

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Winter/Spring 2016

Moore County Writers’ Competition Is writing your passion? Enter the Moore County Writers’Competition which is open to students and residents of Moore County, NC. Age Groups:  Grades 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, and Adult. Professional North Carolina writers judge all entries. Entry Categories: Poetry, Fiction and Non-fictionAwards are presented for each age group within each entry category. Author Awards Reception will be on Sunday, April 24, at 2pm.     First place winners are invited to read a selection from their winning entries.

Read More and see guidelines at www.weymouthcenter.org Deadline for submission: Tuesday, March 1  James Boyd Book ClubThe James Boyd Book Club studies North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame writers and their works. Join our relaxed and informal discussions! Meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, September to May, at 2pm in the Weymouth Library. All welcome.

February 16: The Land Breakers by John Ehle March 15: Poetry by Shelby Stephenson, Poet Laureate April 19: Tar Heels, by Jonathan Daniels May 17: Uhuru, by Robert Ruark

Authors in Moore SchoolsAIMS (Authors in Moore Schools) in cooperation with The Country Bookshop and publishers arranges visits with children’s book authors in Moore County Schools and gives autographed books to the students. The mission “To promote the love of reading by bringing students, parents, schools, communities, and authors together through great books.” AIMS received grants from three private donors. Two Weymouth members and one Country Bookshop patron.

Following successful events at three schools in the Fall, AIMS started 2016 at an event with author Barbara O’Connor at Aberdeen Elementary School. Books were fully funded through customer donations at the Country Bookshop. Upcoming Events: Laurie McKay, author of The Last Dragon Charmer: Villain K e e p e r , w i l l v i s i t o n e s c h o o l . Ruth Chan, picture book author of Where’s the Party, whose visit is sponsored by the Country Bookshop and Macmillan P u b l i s h e r s , w i l l v i s i t o n e e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l . Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, author of the middle grade novel Book Scavenger, whose visit is sponsored by the Country Bookshop and Macmillan Publishers, will visit one school.

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The estimated cost of the AIMS program for the 2015-2016 school year is $23,000. Please consider making a donation to Weymouth/AIMS program and help promote the love of

reading in Moore County

Winter/Spring 2016Weymouth Dirt GardenersWeymouth Plant SaleSaturday, April 9, 9am-1pm: Sponsored by the Dirt Gardeners.  Rain or Shine.    Price friendly  perennials, shrubs, trees, ground-covers, vines, and herbs that thrive in the heat, humidity, and poor soils of the Sandhills.  Many attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  Again this year:  Garden White Elephant Sale.  Cash and checks accepted; no credit cards.  Experienced gardeners will answer questions and help load your vehicle.  For more information please call 949-3999, or email dolphin3999@gmail.com

We welcome donations of garden related items such as garden tools, yard ornaments, clay or ceramic pots, watering cans, etc. Items may be dropped off at the back of the Boyd House on Tuesday or Friday mornings. We are also seeking donations of garden related items, i.e. books, garden decor, tools, for our White Elephant table. We can help you dig or transfer plants and pickup or assist with White Elephant donations! For questions of any kind please call Kathy at cell 910-986-3009, or Sue at 910.420.2039.  All proceeds from the sale of these items benefit the gardens and grounds of Weymouth.

Thank You Daffodil-Planting Volunteers and Donors!   A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped plant 670 daffodil bulbs, all in one morning in November. Visitors to the spring garden in early April will particularly enjoy the tall weeping Higan cherries, and, a little later in the spring season, the daffodils in bloom along the edges of the long view.  The long beds and the parterres are particularly beautiful in summer and fall.   Help in the gardens is always needed. Previous experience not needed. The Dirt Gardeners welcome regular or semi-regular volunteers Tuesday or Friday mornings.  To join us please phone or text Kathy at: cell 910-986-3009/ dolphin3999@gmail.com Or Sue at: 910.986.3009/ SueinPinehurst@nc.rr.com.   Even a few volunteer days a month, or work on special projects, is extremely helpful!  

Landscape CommitteeThe Landscape Committee has been a part of Weymouth Board since 2009. The purpose is to create, implement and sustain a comprehensive landscape plan for Weymouth with the assistance of a licensed landscape architect. The Cultural Landscape Report for Weymouth was completed and copies of this landmark study were delivered to the Board of Directors. The focus of the report is the Boyds and their symbiotic relationship to the landscape of both Weymouth and Southern Pines, and the artistry of landscape architect Alfred Yeomans. Every effort is being made to comply with the research of the CLR report to keep Weymouth authentic as an historical property.

As some of the benches on the property are deteriorating, the plaques on them will be removed and new benches in the future will all comply with a basic historical design. Some garden features that do not comply with Yeomans’ original design will be removed. Every change made to the Boyd House and grounds is made with careful thought and study to keep the property true to the Boyd Legacy.

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Weymouth grounds will undergo a prescribed burn at the end of January. These burns are a professionally done and carefully managed exercise of forest management. Prescribed fire controls brown spot disease in young pine trees.   It reduces hardwood brush and encourages growth of the native plant community, restoring a natural ecosystem.

Winter/Spring 2016Women of Weymouth3rd Monday of month. 9:30 am coffee 10am Program and Meeting. All welcome! February 22: Susan Wilson & Megan Hunt, Gulley’s Garden Center, Keys to Planning, Preparing, & Producing a Successful Garden March 21: Helen von Salzen, Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age April 18: Lori Williams, Director Small Business Center Sandhills Community College, Local Entrepreneurship

Fine Arts Lecture SeriesLadies First: Women Who Made Art Modern Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. at Weymouth. In cooperation with The Arts Council of Moore County. PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS WITH THE

ARTS COUNCIL 910.692.2787 March 17: Denise Baker will speak on Eva Hesse and Louise Nevelson April 14: Molly Gwinn will focus on Julia Margaret Cameron May 19: Molly Gwinn Dorothea Lange & Margaret Bourke White The spring Fine Arts Lecture Series focuses upon the achievements of pioneering women artists who overcame daunting obstacles changing the direction of the visual arts in their day. Prior to the 1950s barriers to women determined to succeed as professionals in the art world were both institutional (few art schools accepted female students) and social (a career outside the home was unthinkable for proper middle-class ladies). Once trained, women confronted a network of

art patrons, dealers, and critics open to men only.

Young Affiliates of WeymouthMeetings Last Tuesday of each month, Literary Hall of FameThe Young Affiliates of Weymouth are a diverse group of young professionals dedicated to supporting the Weymouth Center through social, educational, leadership, and fundraising activities. The Young Affiliate’s goal is to raise awareness of Weymouth Center’s mission and role in our community, and to boost membership. Young Affiliates sponsor A Heritage Affair annual gala and Sounds on the Grounds summer concert series. Please attend a meeting and join the fun!

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May 16: Strawberry Festival 10:30am. Come celebrate spring on the patio and in the gardens with a lovely buffet of tea sandwiches, salads & fresh strawberry shortcake! Musical entertainment on the piano. $10 per person. July 14: Tapas 6-9 pm.Gourmet Food and Wine Pairings Enjoy a summer evening with friends! Small plates with the perfect wines.

Sounds on the Grounds June 23 July 28 August 25Following last year’s successful run, this year’s concerts will feature genre music at each concert. Community tables, food trucks and local beverage stations will be expanded. Planned and staffed by volunteers, we welcome new members, community involvement and ideas. Join us!

Winter/Spring 2016A Heritage AffairMay 21: A Heritage Affair celebrates the storied past, vibrant present, and exciting future of Weymouth. An annual benefit gala, A Heritage Affair presents an evening at Weymouth filled with music and fun in the spirit of the Boyd's. The party sprawls throughout the house and lawns. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, bar, live music, dart installation, raffle.

This year’s theme is Casablanca, so put on your dinner jacket and a lovely dress and step in to A Heritage Affair!

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A HERITAGE AFFAIRMAY 21

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in a all the world, she walks into

mine.”

NAME: _________________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE:____________________________________________________________________________

EMAIL:__________________________________________________________________________________

LEVELS: Membership Ages 36 & above Young Affiliate Age 35 and Under_______ Individual $75_______ Family $150 _______ Individual $40_______ Friend $250-$499 _______ Family $80_______ Patron $500-$4,999

PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THAT IS HAPPENING AT WEYMOUTH ON OUR WEBSITE:

WEYMOUTHCENTER.ORG and on our Facebook Page!

Membership: Join or Renew Today! Friends of Weymouth, is a 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization