NeighborGoodies

Holiday lights

Enjoy a Winter Wonders Walk at American Tobacco any evening from 5 to 11pm through New Year’s Day. The AT Historic District’s Interior Campus (300 Blackwell St, directly across from the DBAP) is festooned with holiday decor and colorful lights. There are also plenty of places to sit and enjoy the scenery when the temps are right; some spots have tables, and on the south end of the interior campus are lounge chairs. It’s a beautiful setting for seasonal selfies or your annual family portrait. (As you probably know, Duke Gardens is closed. It seems that the American Tobacco’s Interior Campus has become THE spot for photo ops/professional portraits.) Free parking is available; enter on the Jackie Robinson St side.

Sneak peek inside the Main Library

The grand opening hasn‘t been announced yet, but you can get a sneak peek at the gorgeous new, totally refurbished Main Library at 300 N Roxboro St. You can still click here to visit the website and put a hold on books, CDs, and DVDs for later pickup. (See the article on the WORD page.)

My cousin, Julia Tapp, recently celebrated her 96th birthday and was paid a visit by her good friend, Dee Moore. (Cousin Julia’s late brother, Claiborne Tapp, ran a neighborhood grocery store on Carroll St and then opened the Chicken Box, which is now known as Chicken Hut.)

Duke’s cool video

Check out this video that explains Duke University’s new Library Takeout System. Just wow.

Nice donation for Vets to Vets United

Dr Terry Morris from Vets to Vets United is thrilled to announce that the Raleigh Bourbon & Banter Charity Golf Tournament helped raise $10,000 to benefit the Durham-based military veteran/dog-training program. The veteran chooses a dog and together they work to transform the pup into a companion and service animal. Click here to learn more about Vets to Vets United.

Zakat Foundation helps neighbors

The Zakat Foundation and Cricket Wireless teamed up to sponsor a 2-day COVID-19 Food Giveaway that benefited families in low-income areas, including McDougald Terrace, on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27. They handed out dozens of 25-pound boxes of nonperishable food supplies (rice, oil, flour, soups, pasta, and canned vegetables). Click here to visit the Zakat Foundation’s North Carolina page.

Create your own walking tour

Here’s a fun page from the OLLI at Duke’s online Learning for Life calendar (OLLI is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute). It comes in handy for people who are tired of being cooped up and want to go out and get some exercise and see things of interest.

Near the top of the page (on the left-hand side) is a link for touring famous museums from around the world, such as the Guggenheim, the Louvre, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Continue down the page and see three presentations that “street historian” John Schelp put together centered on the vintage local postcards from his collection. The presentations can serve as the basis for your own walking or biking tours where you can learn so much about Durham’s rich history. Part 1 covers West Durham, Duke University, and Erwin Mills; Part 2 covers Watts Hospital, Christian’s Mill, and part of downtown; and Part 3 covers parts of downtown, Hayti, North Carolina Central University, and the beginnings of Research Triangle Park.

Enjoy your time outdoors!

Cool US Post Office app

The United States Postal Service has an app called Informed Delivery. It’s not the coolest name, but it’s definitely a cool app that works with iOs and Android phones. Every morning, you can check Informed Delivery and know what’s coming in the mail before it arrives. As your mail goes through scanners at the post office, images of the envelopes are sent to the app so you can see the names of the senders and be on the lookout for letters or cards you’re looking forward to receiving. (This is really wonderful for people who receive checks in the mail.) Every now and then, though, you’ll see a notice that the scanner missed/couldn’t quite catch the image, but you’ll at least know that you’re getting something. There’s also a box for every letter that you can check off if “I didn’t receive this mailpiece.” The folks at the post office can look for it (or you can ask family members if they “happened to see it”).

You’ll also be alerted to packages that are coming in the mail. If you check Informed Delivery early enough, you’ll be able to leave specific delivery instructions, which should put a real damper on package theft. This is a free app; download it from wherever you get your smartphone apps.

Let’s help our neighbors

Many of our neighbors are suffering quietly, and for the most part, we don’t even know about it. Fortunately, crowdfunding has become a great way to ask for help and to help others conveniently and without fanfare.

Here are some neighbors who are definitely deserving of whatever assistance we can give:

The first GoFundMe campaign is for helping musician Tony Melendez get a specially outfitted vehicle (the gifted singer-guitarist was born without arms). Click here to go to his crowdfunding page.

The second GoFundMe campaign is to help Gregg Grose, who has ALS, to continue receiving loving care at home. Click here to go to the family’s crowdfunding page.

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