While other toddlers were smearing yogurt in their hair and coloring on the walls with crayons, Leandra Strope at age two was learning to play the violin. “My mother was committed to the idea that my brother and I would be musically literate,” said Leandra. By the time she was in elementary school, she had… Read More →
Go See This: 4th Annual Mardi Gras Party
A recent six-alarm fire on Canal Street has worried Crescent City revelers that Mardi Gras might be curtailed this year. But Chathamites need not be concerned. The 4th Annual Mardi Gras Party, hosted by the North Carolina Arts Incubator, will bring the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of New Orleans to Siler City. “The annual… Read More →
Music In Me
Meet This Artist: Joey Howell Creates in Paints & Notes
In the deep woods of Chatham County, Joey Howell has found synchronicity between his two art forms. He plays music to create “visual imagery that transports the listener” and he paints visual images that “convey the rhythm, harmony and emotion of music.” There is a bold yen and yang flow between them – rather like… Read More →


