Chapel Hill/Carrboro History

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finesse said:
Was he the one who had the record shop on the Rosemary side of the NCNB building? If so, yes.

I also knew Jim Kuppers who used to sell records on the street in front of Ledbetter-Pickards after hours.
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Back Door Records? Loved that place.
 
IMG_4551.jpeg

The other record (and books and sandwiches) guy, Dennis Gavin of The Skylight Exchange. Mentor to many. Photo is from the 1990s.
 
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donbosco said:
IMG_4551.jpeg

The other record (and books and sandwiches) guy, Dennis Gavin of The Skylight Exchange. Mentor to many. Photo is from the 1990s.
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Knew Dennis and Kansas fairly well. His son ,Nate, played baseball with my youngest kid. Spent more time in Fair Exchange than Skylight though.
 
ronjon said:
Back Door Records? Loved that place.
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I bet well over half my record, and later CD, collection came from Back Door Records.

This thread makes me feel old. And I realize despite living in Chapel Hill for 8 years (84-92), I was largely unaware of how much was going on around me, and how much I'd later regret not having paid more attention. Mostly I was doing as little as I could in my classes, hanging out in Woolen, drinking too much, and chasing women with mixed success. I feel kind of like a Chapel Hill-Carrboro version of Forrest Gump, passing by local landmarks, celebs, and institutions with near zero awareness.

I spent so much time in Henderson St that Gene/Joe would have a beer ready for me by the time I got to the bar, unfortunately somehow they got it in their heads that I drank Michelob, but out of politeness I just went with it. Bartenders I remember from Bub's... Johan, Cynthia, and Chip (who had a spectacular story about receiving oral ministrations from a judge's toothless wife).

My main college job was at the Planetarium, from 85-89, and then off and on during the summers. So if any of you assholes worked at the Planetarium from 85-91 or so, well... we probably knew each other. Somewhere in either the DTH or Yackety Yack circa 87-89 there is a photo of me standing on the Planetarium dome helping install the Star of Bethlehem, literally minutes before I was nearly electrocuted by a loose wire inside the star. Damn near rolled off the dome and down into the parking lot.

I was also a bio TA for several semesters from 88-90, which is where I got the misguided notion that I would enjoy teaching college bio.
 
I did not work at the Planetarium-But I belive it was Jimmy Horn(e?) that was some kind of technical services Mgr there.. His family and mine had a lot of connections in the 60s-70s He had two brothers and a sister that grew up in a house on the big sweeping curve of Hillcreast drive.One of his brothers was in a band for a while with James Taylor...
 
Yep, among other things Jimmy is the guy who hired and trained me back in the summer of 1985. Haven't seen or talked to him in a very, very long time, but for a year or so I probably talked to him every single day.
 
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Upendo Lounge

“So you go to Upendo on Saturday night to party and you come back on Sunday morning to go to church. It was the same space, the very same space. Just cleaned it out, put the chairs up differently a…
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Two weeks ago we celebrated the passage of one of my oldest friends, Dale White. Dale ,along with another Friend, Dale Vilaponteaux owned the Endangered Species where Mike Cross and the Red Clay Ramblers got their start. He was 80 when his heart just gave out. A week before he died, Dale V., David Barnes, the one time owner of Fat City and I got together with him and talked about old times. We were partners in a carpentry business for a while and then our lives (and politics) took opposite directions.

Have to say that he was the most hot headed man I've ever seen. I've seen him throw hammers, circular saws and levels, beat the hell out of an old beater staion wagon he was driving and just literally lose his shit. I also saw him bent over walking behind my 10 month old daughter when she was learning to walk to catch her if she fell. He was a good man and I'll miss him.
 
finesse said:
Two weeks ago we celebrated the passage of one of my oldest friends, Dale White. Dale ,along with another Friend, Dale Vilaponteaux owned the Endangered Species where Mike Cross and the Red Clay Ramblers got their start. He was 80 when his heart just gave out. A week before he died, Dale V., David Barnes, the one time owner of Fat City and I got together with him and talked about old times. We were partners in a carpentry business for a while and then our lives (and politics) took opposite directions.

Have to say that he was the most hot headed man I've ever seen. I've seen him throw hammers, circular saws and levels, beat the hell out of an old beater staion wagon he was driving and just literally lose his shit. I also saw him bent over walking behind my 10 month old daughter when she was learning to walk to catch her if she fell. He was a good man and I'll miss him.
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Hadn't thought of Endangered Species in forever. Curiosity got the better of me so I googled to see if there is anything out there on it.

Found this gem. Anyone who was in CH in 1975 will get a blast out of reading it. A run down of all the bars and clubs of the day.

The daily Tar Heel. (Chapel Hill, N.C.) 1946-current, August 25, 1975, Page 19, Image 19 · North Carolina Newspapers

newspapers.digitalnc.org newspapers.digitalnc.org
 
finesse said:
Two weeks ago we celebrated the passage of one of my oldest friends, Dale White. Dale ,along with another Friend, Dale Vilaponteaux owned the Endangered Species where Mike Cross and the Red Clay Ramblers got their start. He was 80 when his heart just gave out. A week before he died, Dale V., David Barnes, the one time owner of Fat City and I got together with him and talked about old times. We were partners in a carpentry business for a while and then our lives (and politics) took opposite directions.

Have to say that he was the most hot headed man I've ever seen. I've seen him throw hammers, circular saws and levels, beat the hell out of an old beater staion wagon he was driving and just literally lose his shit. I also saw him bent over walking behind my 10 month old daughter when she was learning to walk to catch her if she fell. He was a good man and I'll miss him.
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David Barnes?

Were Sam and Ruth his parents? Sam was an English professor and wrestling coach at UNC.

They had 4 sons - Peter (a swimmer at UNC and he taught me how to do a flip turn at age 6 and how to improve my butterfly at ages 7 & 8), David, maybe a Steve, and the youngest, Andrew, who is 2 years older than me and a good friend).
 
Zoo_View said:
David Barnes?

Were Sam and Ruth his parents? Sam was an English professor and wrestling coach at UNC.

They had 4 sons - Peter (a swimmer at UNC and he taught me how to do a flip turn at age 6 and how to improve my butterfly at ages 7 & 8), David, maybe a Steve, and the youngest, Andrew, who is 2 years older than me and a good friend).
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Yelp. They've all been friends of mine for over 50 years. His daughter, her husband and son was over at my son's for a cookout last night.
 
grimes70 said:
Hadn't thought of Endangered Species in forever. Curiosity got the better of me so I googled to see if there is anything out there on it.

Found this gem. Anyone who was in CH in 1975 will get a blast out of reading it. A run down of all the bars and clubs of the day.

The daily Tar Heel. (Chapel Hill, N.C.) 1946-current, August 25, 1975, Page 19, Image 19 · North Carolina Newspapers

newspapers.digitalnc.org newspapers.digitalnc.org
Click to expand...
Went to all of those but RW's although I did go in its previous incarnation. I mostly spent time after 73 in Town Hall, The Species and the Cave where I bartended for a while.
 
Zoo_View said:
David Barnes?

Were Sam and Ruth his parents? Sam was an English professor and wrestling coach at UNC.

They had 4 sons - Peter (a swimmer at UNC and he taught me how to do a flip turn at age 6 and how to improve my butterfly at ages 7 & 8), David, maybe a Steve, and the youngest, Andrew, who is 2 years older than me and a good friend).
Click to expand...
I have always meant to ask you-with your swimming interest-if you knew Peter. I assumme he is at least 7-8 yrs your elder . When I was growing up Peter and David Gentry were the guys I thought of as the bulldog swimmers in CH . David was in my Boy scout troop and at Troop competitions at Camp Durant he would eat all the country boys alive
 
grimes70 said:
Hadn't thought of Endangered Species in forever. Curiosity got the better of me so I googled to see if there is anything out there on it.

Found this gem. Anyone who was in CH in 1975 will get a blast out of reading it. A run down of all the bars and clubs of the day.

The daily Tar Heel. (Chapel Hill, N.C.) 1946-current, August 25, 1975, Page 19, Image 19 · North Carolina Newspapers

newspapers.digitalnc.org newspapers.digitalnc.org
Click to expand...


There are a few there that I missed - I arrived as a drinker in 1976.

The Village Squire does not ring a bell nor does Tiffany’s for example. Interesting that the DTH piece does not venture into Carrboro - The Sidetrack — and perhaps The Red Baron were that way - and The Leather Bar.
 
finesse said:
Went to all of those but RW's although I did go in its previous incarnation. I mostly spent time after 73 in Town Hall, The Species and the Cave where I bartended for a while.
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Was the “R” in RW’s (Raymond Williams) Linda’s husband (and the father of her daughters, Kim and Lisa)?
 
donbosco said:
There are a few there that I missed - I arrived as a drinker in 1976.

The Village Squire does not ring a bell nor does Tiffany’s for example. Interesting that the DTH piece does not venture into Carrboro - The Sidetrack — and perhaps The Red Baron were that way - and The Leather Bar.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was thinking about Bullwinkles with the moose head where the spotted dog is and horseshoes at the station.
 
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