Hi! Happy weekend.
Earlier this morning I did a sweep of the Promotions tab in my inbox—usually, just non-local press releases—when I spotted a familiar address in a subject line: “116 West Main Street, Durham, NC.”
The address turned out to be the title of a new song by Canadian singer-songwriter Donovan Woods, who I’m not familiar with, but who has a sizable Spotify footprint of 625,000 monthly listeners. In a press release, Woods writes: “I wrote this in a green room at The Carolina Theatre in Durham. I had a great day walking around (really nice town), and I was feeling hopeful… I wanted it to feel like one of those days when you’re getting a lot of errands done. Maybe you’re walking, and your legs feel good. You feel like you could walk forever.”
116 West Main Street is the address of downtown’s Letters Bookshop. When I texted owner Land Arnold to ask if he knew his bookshop’s address is now the extremely specific title of a Canadian folk ballad, Arnold responded that he didn’t and quipped, “Funny enough, we’d already named one of our book carts Donovan Woods.”
This isn’t the first time that Durham’s main drag has been a muse for the entertainment industry: In the early 2000s, the late screenwriter Horton Foote visited an empty downtown Durham and, like Woods, was inspired. He then wrote Main Street, a script about a stranger who moves to a derelict small Southern town and tries to save it, a plot very similar to the Sinclair Lewis novel, which is also titled Main Street. The script drew a star-studded cast, including Colin Firth, Patricia Clarkson, Orlando Bloom, Amber Tamblyn, Margo Martindale, and Ellen Burstyn, but flopped at the box office, never to be seen again.
Colin Firth’s talent won him an Oscar in 2010 for The King’s Speech, shortly after Main Street shot, though it did not seem to extend to Southern accents. Durham continued to be in Firth’s destiny, however, vis-à-vis 2022 HBO drama The Staircase, which explored the Kathleen Peterson murder trial.
That’s all the local lore I have for you today but below, find recent INDY culture coverage as well as highlights from around the Triangle. We’ve got a new issue on stands next week. Thanks for reading!
Christine Stevralia helps Chic Ada, portrayed by Candace Burch, change into a costume during the 20th annual Beaver Queen Pageant at Duke Park. Photo by Angelica Edwards.
elsewhere in the culture section
Last week, writer Chase Pellegrini du Paur previewed the 20th annual Beaver Queen Pageant in Durham; this week, you can see it through photographer Angelica Edwards’ eyes in a photo essay. (My favorite costume was Chic Ada, above.)
There’s a new ice cream shop, Pistachio Ice Cream, in Durham’s Lakewood neighborhood; you can read all about the Persian sweets spot here. If your cravings take you further, here’s a “dreamy, drippy” journey through the Triangle’s ice cream scene, from a few years ago, and a rundown of local small-batch ice cream purveyors.
Have you gotten a chance to pick up our special food issue from last week? If you didn’t, you can still catch up on features about Durham’s Cheeni Durham and Raleigh’s Brodeto; the pizzas of Ponysaurus Brewing Co. and the Cemitas of Que Chula Es Puebla; the refrigerators of Toriano Fredericks and Bill Smith, and much more.
out and about in the triangle
Graham/Durham crepe cafe Press opened a location in Raleigh this week; conversely, Raleigh’s Gym Tacos is opening a location in Durham. Richmond-based eatery Wong’s Tacos is coming to Raleigh. Non-alcoholic spot Umbrella Dry Bar closed earlier this year but has announced a series of summer residencies around the Triangle. Sad news for Durham: COPA has filed for bankruptcy and may have to sell its building.
Axios has a solid roundup of Pride Month events and Duke Arts has announced its 2024-25 season lineup — I’m particularly excited about Adrianne Lenker and multimedia film In the Wake of Progress. Petey Pablo is being inducted into the NC Music Hall of Fame (about time!), Skylar Gudasz has new music out and an album on the way, as does Alycia Lang.
out and about in the world
The Bitter Southerner and Oxford American both have enticing new issues out. “Carrot Cake is better cold.” A deft profile of ESPN star Malika Andrews. A devastating June poem. An artful Pitchfork review of the new Charli XCX album (and a minor review of the review).
— Sarah Edwards —
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